Lilium Tourn. ex L.
lilies · Liliaceae
- Accepted name
- Lilium Tourn. ex L.
- First published
- Sp. Pl.: 302 (1753)
- Family
- Liliaceae
- Accepted species
- 138 (including 14 natural hybrids)
- Native range
- 129 TDWG regions, temperate Northern Hemisphere to subtropical montane regions, chiefly East Asia
- Common names
- lilies, Lily
- Databases
- POWO · IPNI · WCVP · Catalogue of Life · GBIF
Overview
Lilium is the type genus of the lily family, Liliaceae, distributed widely across the temperate Northern Hemisphere and subtropical mountains, with the greatest species richness in East Asia (particularly China and Japan). In international cut flower trade, lilies rank alongside roses, chrysanthemums and carnations as the “big four” commercial cut flowers. Most cut lilies sold today are multi-generational cultivars grouped into Oriental hybrids, Asiatic hybrids, Longiflorum (Easter lily) hybrids, and interspecific Orienpet (OT) and LA crosses.
Classification and naming
Linnaeus published Lilium in Species Plantarum in 1753. The generic name derives from Latin lilium, corresponding to the Greek leirion for the white Madonna lily. All species are perennial herbs with true scaly bulbs lacking a tunic. Flowers feature six tepals and six stamens with versatile anthers. WCVP currently accepts over 130 species in the genus along with natural hybrids.
| Genus name | Published in |
|---|---|
| Lirium Scop. | Fl. Carniol.: 239 (1760) |
| Martagon (Rchb.) Opiz | Seznam: 63 (1852) |
| Martagon Wolf | Gen. Pl.: 84 (1776) |
| Nomocharis Franch. | J. Bot. (Morot) 3: 113 (1889) |
Distribution
WCVP records the genus as native to 129 TDWG botanical regions and introduced in 37 more.
Native regions (129)
AfghanistanAlabamaAlbaniaAlbertaAltayAmurArizonaArkansasAssamAustriaBaltic StatesBangladeshBelarusBritish ColumbiaBulgariaBuryatiyaCaliforniaCentral European RussiaChina North-CentralChina South-CentralChina SoutheastChitaColoradoConnecticutCorseCzechia-SlovakiaDelawareDistrict of ColumbiaEast Aegean Is.East European RussiaEast HimalayaFloridaFranceGeorgiaGermanyGreeceHungaryIdahoIllinoisIndiaIndianaInner MongoliaIowaIranIrkutskItalyJapanKamchatkaKansasKazakhstanKentuckyKhabarovskKoreaKrasnoyarskKrymKuril Is.LaosLebanon-SyriaLouisianaMaineManchuriaManitobaMarylandMassachusettsMexico NorthwestMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMongoliaMontanaMyanmarNansei-shotoNebraskaNepalNevadaNew BrunswickNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth CaucasusNorth DakotaNova ScotiaNW. Balkan Pen.OhioOklahomaOntarioOregonPakistanPalestinePennsylvaniaPhilippinesPolandPortugalPrimoryeQinghaiQuébecRhode I.RomaniaSakhalinSaskatchewanSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaSouth European RussiaSpainSwitzerlandTaiwanTennesseeTexasThailandTibetTranscaucasusTürkiyeTürkiye-in-EuropeTuvaUkraineVermontVietnamVirginiaWashingtonWest HimalayaWest SiberiaWest VirginiaWisconsinWyomingXinjiangYakutiya
Introduced
AlgeriaArgentina NortheastBelgiumBermudaBrazil SouthBrazil SoutheastCanary Is.Cape ProvincesCosta RicaDenmarkDR CongoFinlandGreat BritainIrelandKenyaKwaZulu-NatalMadeiraMexico CentralMexico SoutheastMexico SouthwestNetherlandsNew South WalesNew Zealand NorthNicaraguaNorfolk Is.North European RussiaNorthern ProvincesNorwayOgasawara-shotoSardegnaSiciliaSwedenTanzaniaTunisiaUtahVictoriaZimbabwe
Accepted species
WCVP accepts 138 species; names with × are natural hybrids. The count changes with revisions; checked 2026-10-20.
| Name | On this site |
|---|---|
| Lilium akkusianum Gämperle | |
| Lilium albanicum Griseb. | |
| Lilium amabile Palib. | |
| Lilium amoenum E.H.Wilson ex Sealy | |
| Lilium apertum Franch. | |
| Lilium arboricola Stearn | |
| Lilium armenum (Miscz. ex Grossh.) Manden. | |
| Lilium assamicum Kingdon-Ward | |
| Lilium auratum Lindl. | |
| Lilium × aurelianense Debras | |
| Lilium bakerianum Collett & Hemsl. | |
| Lilium basilissum (Farrer ex W.E.Evans) Y.D.Gao | |
| Lilium bolanderi S.Watson | |
| Lilium bosniacum (Beck) Fritsch | |
| Lilium brevistylum (S.Yun Liang) S.Yun Liang | |
| Lilium brownii Lemoinier | |
| Lilium brunneum Ting Wang quater & Y.D.Gao | |
| Lilium buchenavii Focke ex R.J.Koch | |
| Lilium bulbiferum L. | |
| Lilium × burnhamense H.F.Comber, Woodcock & Stearn | |
| Lilium callosum Siebold & Zucc. | |
| Lilium canadense L. | |
| Lilium candidum L. | 1 plate |
| Lilium carniolicum Bernh. ex W.D.J.Koch | |
| Lilium catesbaei Walter | |
| Lilium cernuum Kom. | |
| Lilium chalcedonicum L. | |
| Lilium ciliatum P.H.Davis | |
| Lilium columbianum Leichtlin | |
| Lilium concolor Salisb. | |
| Lilium × dalhansonii Anon. | |
| Lilium davidii Duch. ex Elwes | |
| Lilium debile Kittlitz | |
| Lilium distichum Nakai ex Kamib. | |
| Lilium duchartrei Franch. | |
| Lilium × elegans Thunb. | |
| Lilium eupetes J.M.H.Shaw | |
| Lilium evansii J.Bo Wang & Y.D.Gao | |
| Lilium fargesii Franch. | |
| Lilium × finlayorum (Synge) J.Compton | |
| Lilium floridum J.L.Ma & Yan J.Li | |
| Lilium formosanum A.Wallace | |
| Lilium georgei (W.E.Evans) Sealy | |
| Lilium gongshanense (Y.D.Gao & X.J.He) Y.D.Gao | |
| Lilium grayi S.Watson | |
| Lilium hansonii Leichtlin ex D.D.T.Moore | |
| Lilium henrici Franch. | |
| Lilium henryi Baker | |
| Lilium × hollandicum Bergmans | |
| Lilium huanglongense Ting Wang quater & Y.D.Gao | |
| Lilium humboldtii Leichtlin | |
| Lilium × imperiale E.H.Wilson | |
| Lilium × intermedium H.F.Comber, Woodcock & Stearn | |
| Lilium iridollae M.G.Henry | |
| Lilium jankae A.Kern. | |
| Lilium japonicum Thunb. ex Houtt. | |
| Lilium kelleyanum Lemmon | |
| Lilium kelloggii Purdy | |
| Lilium kesselringianum Miscz. | |
| Lilium × kewense W.Watson | |
| Lilium lalashanense S.S.Ying | |
| Lilium lancifolium Thunb. | 1 plate |
| Lilium lankongense Franch. | |
| Lilium ledebourii (Baker) Boiss. | |
| Lilium leichtlinii Hook.f. | |
| Lilium leucanthum (Baker) Baker | |
| Lilium liangiae Yu Mei Yuan & Y.D.Gao | |
| Lilium linearifolianum S.S.Ying | |
| Lilium longiflorum Thunb. | 1 plate |
| Lilium lophophorum (Bureau & Franch.) Franch. | |
| Lilium mackliniae Sealy | |
| Lilium maculatum Thunb. | |
| Lilium maritimum Kellogg | |
| Lilium × marmed E.H.Wilson | |
| Lilium martagon L. | 1 plate |
| Lilium matangense J.M.Xu | |
| Lilium medeoloides A.Gray | |
| Lilium medogense S.Yun Liang | |
| Lilium meleagrina (Franch.) Y.D.Gao | |
| Lilium michauxii Poir. | |
| Lilium michiganense Farw. | |
| Lilium monadelphum Adams | |
| Lilium nanum Klotzsch | |
| Lilium nepalense D.Don | |
| Lilium nobilissimum (Makino) Makino | |
| Lilium × notabile (Sealy) J.Compton | |
| Lilium occidentale Purdy | |
| Lilium oxypetalum (D.Don) Baker | |
| Lilium papilliferum Franch. | |
| Lilium paradoxum Stearn | |
| Lilium pardalinum Kellogg | |
| Lilium pardanthinum (Franch.) Y.D.Gao | |
| Lilium × parkmanii Sarg. ex T.Moore | |
| Lilium parryi S.Watson | |
| Lilium parvum Kellogg | |
| Lilium pensylvanicum Ker Gawl. | |
| Lilium philadelphicum L. | |
| Lilium philippinense Baker | |
| Lilium pinifolium L.J.Peng | |
| Lilium polyphyllum D.Don | |
| Lilium pomponium L. | |
| Lilium ponticum K.Koch | |
| Lilium primulinum Baker | |
| Lilium procumbens Aver. & N.Tanaka | |
| Lilium pumilum Redouté | |
| Lilium punctulatum (Sealy) Yu Mei Yuan & Y.D.Gao | |
| Lilium pyi H.Lév. | |
| Lilium pyrenaicum Gouan | |
| Lilium pyrophilum M.W.Skinner & Sorrie | |
| Lilium regale E.H.Wilson | |
| Lilium rhodopeum Delip. | |
| Lilium rosthornii Diels | |
| Lilium rubellum Baker | |
| Lilium rubescens S.Watson | |
| Lilium saluenense (Balf.f.) S.Yun Liang | |
| Lilium sargentiae E.H.Wilson | |
| Lilium sealyi Y.D.Gao | |
| Lilium sempervivoideum H.Lév. | |
| Lilium shenxianjuense Yue L.Xu & X.F.Jin | |
| Lilium sherriffiae Stearn | |
| Lilium × shimenianum S.S.Ying | |
| Lilium souliei (Franch.) Sealy | |
| Lilium speciosum Thunb. | 1 plate |
| Lilium stewartianum Balf.f. & W.W.Sm. | |
| Lilium sulphureum Baker ex Hook.f. | |
| Lilium superbum L. | 1 plate |
| Lilium synapticum (Sealy) Y.D.Gao | |
| Lilium szovitsianum Fisch. & Avé-Lall. | |
| Lilium taliense Franch. | |
| Lilium tenii H.Lév. | |
| Lilium × testaceum Lindl. | |
| Lilium tianschanicum N.A.Ivanova ex Grubov | |
| Lilium tsingtauense Gilg | |
| Lilium ukeyuri Veitch ex R.Hogg | |
| Lilium wallichianum Schult. & Schult.f. | |
| Lilium wardii Stapf ex Stern | |
| Lilium washingtonianum Kellogg | |
| Lilium yapingense Y.D.Gao & X.J.He |
Historic plates
Plates in date order; the printed names are kept as they appear, current names are on the species pages and the topic page.
Lilium tigrinum
Curtis's Botanical Magazine · 800 · 1805
Sydenham Edwards
Lilium superbum
Les Liliacées · 103 · 1805
Pierre-Joseph Redouté
Lilium martagon
Les Liliacées · 146 · 1806
Pierre-Joseph Redouté
Lilium candidum
Les Liliacées · 199 · 1808
Pierre-Joseph Redouté
Lilium longiflorum
Flora Japonica · Tab. 12 · 1835
Lilium speciosum
Curtis's Botanical Magazine · Tab. 3785 · 1840
Walter Hood Fitch
Horticultural divisions and postharvest physiology
Oriental hybrids are celebrated for grand blossom size, sweet perfume, and expansive form; Asiatic hybrids provide bright, clear hues (yellows, vibrant oranges, scarlets), upright flower carriage, and zero fragrance, suiting scent-sensitive spaces; OT hybrids offer tall, strong stems and extended durability. Professional postharvest handling focuses on early anther removal before dehiscence (preventing stains and conserving energy), stripping immersed lower leaves to stop foul decomposition, and explicitly cautioning cat-owning customers about fatal feline toxicity.