Table of Contents

• Description
• Scientific Classification
• Lily Family
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Description

Lilies are a collection of flowering plants significant in literature and culture worldwide. The scientific name of lily is Lilium. Despite having “lily” in their common names, many other plants are not true lilies because they do not fall under the same genus. Most species are indigenous to the northern hemisphere and can be found in temperate and subtropical regions.

Numerous plants belonging to other genera resembling true lilies also use the term “lily” in their famous names. These consist of the Hemerocallis (daylily) and numerous Amaryllidaceae species.

Lilies are tall perennials that can reach heights of 2 to 6 feet (60–180 cm). Their perennial organs are scaly, bare, or tunicless underground bulbs. In several species native to North America, the bulb’s base transforms into rhizomes, which are populated by countless tiny bulbs.

Certain species grow stolons. Though some species produce bulbs close to the topsoil, the majority of bulbs are buried deep inside the soil.

Numerous species develop stem roots. These roots are extra to the basal roots that grow at the base of the bulb.

Lily Flowers

As with the Easter lily (Lilium longiflorum) and Madonna lily (Lilium candidum), the flowers have six tepals that can be shaped into a trumpet with a more or less extended tube.

The flowers are large, usually fragrant, and appear in various colours, including white, yellow, orange, pink, red, and purple. The segments can also be reflexed (curled back) to produce a turban shape, as seen in the Turk’s cap lily (L. martagon), or they can be less firmly reflexed to make a bowl shape or open cup, as found in the goldband lily (L. auratum) and wood lily (L. philadelphicum).

Lilies can be produced from seed, though they are commonly grown from bulbs. Most species favour loamy, porous soil, and proper drainage is essential. The majority of species flower in July or August. While some species start their flowering seasons in the late spring, others do so in the late summer or the early fall.

Scientific Classification

Lily Family

Within the order Liliales, the lily family, or Liliaceae, comprises around 15 genera and 610 flowering plant species. They are monocotyledonous geophytes that are perennial, herbaceous, and often bulbous. Despite genetic similarities, the morphology of plants in this family has evolved with a significant level of variety.

Large flowers with elements organised in threes – six petaloid tepals (undifferentiated sepals and petals) placed in two whorls, six stamens, and a superior ovary are common characteristics. The leaves are single and alternately arranged on the stem, or they might form a cluster at the base. They are linear in shape, with veins usually parallel to the edges. Although some species contain rhizomes, the majority are cultivated from bulbs.

The Liliaceae are monocotyledonous, herbaceous, perennial, flowering plants with basic trichomes (root hairs), contractile roots, and bulbous (or rhizomatous) structures. They have both female (gynoecium) and male (androecium) traits and are radially symmetric, often placed in the opposite direction. The flowers might appear as a group in a cluster, a single flower at the stem’s tip, or as an arrangement down the stem (inflorescence).

Related Links:

• Floral Formula of Liliaceae
• Scientific Names of Animals and Plants
• Flashcards for NEET Biology – Morphology of Flowering Plants

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