Fire lily

Appearance

"Lilium bulbiferum" reaches on average 20–90 centimetres of height, with a maximum of 120 centimetres. The bulbs are ovoid, with whitish large and pointed scales and can reach about 1.5 centimetres of diameter. The stem is erect, the leaves are lanceolate, up to 10 centimeters long. The inflorescence has one to five short-haired flowers. They are hermaphroditic and scentless, have six upright tepals, the outer are slightly narrower than the inner ones. The flowers can reach 4-6 centimeters in length and are bright yellow-orange with reddish-brown dots. The stamens are erect, about half as long as the tepals, with red anthers. The style is orange, 35 millimetres of height. The flowering period extends from May through July.

There are two varieties, "Lilium bulbiferum" var. "croceum" Baker in the Western part of the range, and "Lilium bulbiferum" var. "bulbiferum" in its Eastern part. Only the last one produces always secondary aerial bulbs in the axils of the upper leaves. These "bulbils" fall to the ground and mature after two to three years. When manually separated from the stem they can easily used for propagating the plant.

The dwarf plants from the Maritime Alps, formerly described as var. "chaixii" Stoker, and the large plants from the region of Naples, formerly described as var. "giganteum" N. Terracc., are now considered as local variants of var. "croceum".

Distribution

This species is common in the mountains of central and southern Europe from the Pyrenees up to the northern Balkans.

Habitat

These plants grow in mountain meadows and rocks. They prefer calcareous soils in warm, sunny places, but also grows on slightly acid soils. They can be found at an altitude of 500–1,900 metres above sea level.

Cultural

The Orange Lily has long been recognised as a symbol of the Orange Order in Northern Ireland. In Hanakotoba, the Japanese language of flowers, the orange lily symbolizes hatred or revenge when given as a gift.