The Many Uses of One of the World’s Oldest Cultivated Plants
According to Greek mythology, the first lily was fashioned from the breast milk of Hera, wife of Zeus, king of the Greek gods and god of the sky. Legend has it that Venus, the goddess of love, had such jealousy of the flower’s beauty that she put a curse on it in an attempt to diminish its appearance.
Long considered a symbol of purity, the lily first appears graphically around the beginning of the 17th century BCE, in a painting in Crete. The Madonna lily, originally found mostly in the Middle East and the Balkans, is known to have used as early as the 2nd century BCE as both a source of food and for its medicinal qualities—the buds and oils have been used through the ages to treat a wide range of conditions, from fever and coughs to burns and ulcers. In ancient Egypt, it was commonly a part of many funeral ceremonies and Chinese culture considers the lily a sign of good luck and everlasting love.
What Are the Common Characteristics of a Lily?
Botanists have identified more than 2,000 species of lilies, which fall into nine groups. All true lilies have six petals and six anthers (where the pollen is contained). As a general rule, lilies are tall and upright, typically with flowers that resemble a bell or trumpet (in fact, some lilies are known as “trumpet lilies”). There are lilies of almost every color—no blue lilies are known to exist. Lilies can, however, have a wide array of patterns, spots, dark patches and freckles. While most lilies are known for their powerful fragrance, there are a few types that don’t have any scent.
The Most Common Types of Lilies
Most of the lilies planted in gardens and grown commercially are hybrids. The most popular and widely known lily in the world, the Asiatic hybrid, can be found in almost every color, but typically have little aroma. They are prized for their durability and beauty.
Another popular and commonly recognized lily is the Martagon hybrid, characterized by flowers that tend to face down. The most widely known is the Turk’s cap.
Trumpet lilies, named for their distinctive shape, also typically face down or outward. They are among the most fragrant of all lilies and are particularly aromatic at night.
The Daylily—A Beautiful Misnomer
What many Americans know as the most recognizable of all lilies—the daylily—turns out to be a lily in name only. While many daylilies have similar appearances to true lilies, daylilies are of the genus Hemerocallis, where as true lilies are genus Lilium. Furthermore, while true lilies grow from bulbs, the daylily evolves from a rhizome, a horizontal underground stem that grows sideways.
