Siroi Lily
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| Lilium mackliniae |
The Siroi Lily (Lilium mackliniae Sealy) is a beautiful lily which is found only in the upper reaches on Siroi hill ranges in Ukhrul District of Manipur India at an elevation of 1730-2590m above sea level. It is the state flower of Manipur. The lily is named after the maiden name of the wife of its discoverer Frank Kingdon-Ward, who discovered it in 1946. The lily won the prestigious merit prize of the 1948 Royal Horticultural Society Flower Show in London. This shade loving lily has beautiful pale bluish-pink petals. The legend that this lily can't be grown anywhere else has been proven wrong. Local Tangkhul Naga folklore has it that this flower adorns the beautiful goddess, Philava, who inhabits the Siroi Kashong (peak). It flowers in the rainy south-west monsoon months of June-July.
They are seasonal flowering plants and at their best in May and June when it blooms. The peak seasons of its bloom are May 15 to June 5. The height of the plant is between 1 to 3 ft. and 1 to 7 flowers per plant. In former years one could see even up to 12 flowers per plant. The flower is light pinkish in colour. Its beauty lies in its bell shape petals in bowing position like a modest girl.
