Madonna lily
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| iLilium candidum | ||||||||||||||
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| Lilium candidum |
The Madonna Lily (Lilium candidum) is a plant in the genus Lilium, a "true lily". It is native to the Balkans and West Asia. It forms bulbs at ground level, and unlike other lilies, has a basal rosette of leaves through the winter, which die back in summer. A leafy flower stem, typically up to 1.2 m high, sometimes up to 2 m high, emerges in late spring and bears fragrant flowers in summer. Flowers are white, flushed yellow at the base.
It has long been cultivated, but is susceptible to virus diseases of lilies, and to Botrytis fungus.
It was formerly the provincial flower of Quebec, but was replaced by the Blue Flag Iris when it was discovered that the lily would not grow in Quebec.
[edit] References
The European Garden Flora (1986).
