Lilium lancifolium /ˈlɪliːəm/
Common name: Tiger lily · devil lily
Lilium lancifolium is a bulbous perennial lily native to East Asia, including China, Japan, and Korea. It bears showy, nodding orange flowers with recurved petals spotted in dark purple, blooming in mid to late summer on stems up to about 1.5 m tall. Long cultivated in Asia, where its bulbs are eaten as a vegetable, it is also one of the most popular and easy-to-grow garden lilies worldwide.
Care summary
Sun
Full sun to partial shade
Water
Regular, even moisture; avoid waterlogging
Soil
Well-drained, humus-rich, slightly acidic
Hardiness
Zones 3–9
Mature height
About 90–150 cm (3–5 ft)
Pet safe
No — highly toxic to cats
Difficulty
Easy
Propagation
The easiest route is the small dark bulbils that form in the leaf axils along the stem in late summer: pick them off and plant them about 2 cm deep in pots or a nursery bed, where they flower in 2-3 years. Division of mature bulbs or bulb-scale propagation also works well.
Fun facts
- It produces small black bulbils in its leaf axils, which drop to the ground and grow into new plants.
- Its starchy bulbs have been cultivated and eaten in East Asia for centuries, used in soups and stir-fries.
- The common garden form is a sterile triploid that sets no seed, spreading only by bulbs and bulbils.
- The species name "lancifolium" means "lance-leaved," referring to its narrow, lance-shaped leaves.