tiger lily
Lilium lancifolium
This species rarely produces viable seeds; instead, it reproduces vegetatively using dark, pea-sized aerial bulbs called bulbils that grow along its stem.
- Scientific name
- Lilium lancifolium
- Taxonomy
- Plantae › Tracheophyta › Liliopsida › Liliales › Liliaceae › Lilium
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- grassland
- Habitat
- Grassy slopes, mountain valleys, forest margins, and sunny meadows
- Diet
- Autotrophic (Photosynthesis)
- Range
- East Asia, North America (naturalized), Europe
- Size
- 80 to 150 cm in height
- Lifespan
- Perennial (individual bulbs can live for over 10-15 years)
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Agricultural expansion, urbanization, and unsustainable wild foraging of its edible bulbs.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless to touch for humans, though the orange pollen can stain clothing. Warning: This plant is extremely toxic to domestic cats; even minor ingestion of leaves, petals, or pollen can cause fatal kidney failure. Keep felines away and seek immediate veterinary care if exposure occurs.
Lilium lancifolium (syn. L. tigrinum ) is an Asian species of lily, native to China, Japan, Korea, and the Russian Far East. It is widely planted as an ornamental because of its showy orange-and-black flowers, and has become naturalized in numerous scattered locations in eastern North America (particularly in New England).
Photo: Kim, Hyun-tae, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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