Lilium lancifolium
Common name
tiger lily
Synonyms
Lilium tigrinum Ker Gawl.
Family
Liliaceae
Flora category
Vascular – Exotic
Structural class
Herbs - Monocots
Conservation status
Not applicable
Habitat
Terrestrial. Roadsides and waste places, cemeteries and bush margins.
Detailed description
Robust perennial herb with bulb of 5-10 cm diameter, stems reaching 60-120 cm high. Many dark-green sessile strap-like leaves up to 15 cm long. Upper leaves have bulbils in leaf axils. Large orange trumpet-like flowers with numerous purple-black spots.
Similar taxa
The large orange trumpet shaped flowers with dark spots give tiger-lily its common name and make it easily identifiable. Long known in New Zealand by the name Lilium tigrinum Ker Gawl.
Flowering
January, February, March, April
Flower colours
Orange, Violet/Purple
Life cycle
Reproduces vegetatively through bulbils, seeds not seen. Dispersed by people, gravity, water and soil movement.
Year naturalised
1958
Origin
North Africa
Reason for introduction
Ornamental