About the lily ~ Origins

Lilies are plants found in the Northern hemisphere. In the wild they are found in Asia, Europe and America. They are found in northerly countries such as Korea, Japan and parts of Siberia as well as close to the equator in India. In Europe the lily is native to the Caucasus, the Balkan states, Greece, Poland, the Alps and the Pyrenees. They are also found growing wild in most American states, apart from the South-western quarter.

The lily grows at sea level and at higher altitudes – even above 3,000 m. In the latter instance, the plants are generally short, up to about 30 cm, with just one flower per stem. Some lilies are very widespread. For example, L. martagon occurs from Siberia into the Balkan states. In contrast L. regale was discovered in 1903 growing on the steep sides of a remote valley in the Chinese province of Szechuan and is found nowhere else. Currently some 100 different varieties have been recorded.