Lilium formosanum

Lilium formosanum, also known as the Formosa lily or Taiwanese lily, is a plant species in the lily family, endemic to Taiwan. It is closely related to the Easter lily found in the Ryukyu Islands of Japan, eastern and northern Taiwan. Both species are cultivated for their showy, trumpet-shaped flowers. Lilium formosanum has become naturalized in scattered locations in Africa, Australia, and the Americas.

Description
Lilium formosanum reaches a height of 120 to 150 cm. The bulbs are small, rounded and reach a diameter of around 2 to 4 cm. They consist of white to yellowish lanceolate scales. The stem is smooth to papillose and sometimes tinged with purple. The leaves are linear or narrow and lanceolate, 2.5 to 15 cm long and 4 to 13 mm wide. They are freely distributed around the stem.

The plant blooms from June to December with one to five fragrant, funnel-shaped flowers in an umbel. The hermaphrodite flowers are threefold. The six identically shaped flower bracts are broadly spatulate and 11.5 to 14.5 cm long. The basic color of the flowers is pure white, the outside is purple. Each flower contains three carpels and six stamens. The anthers are about 10 mm long, the pollen is yellow, the filaments are very long, about 10 cm. The nectaries are green and papillose on both sides. The seeds ripen in slender 7 cm to 9 cm long seed capsules and germinate immediately above the soil surface.

Names
Several common names for the Taiwanese lily are in use among Taiwanese-speaking peoples. These include wild lily ( or ), trumpet flower, mountain garlic (, , or ), and master's flask ( or ). It is said the flower has another name of flower of broken bowl from the elderly members of the Hakka ethnic group. They believe that because the Taiwanese lily grows near bodies of clean water, harming the lily may damage the environment, just like breaking the bowls that people rely on. An alternative explanation is that parents convince children into not taking the lily by convincing the children that their dinner bowls may break if they destroy this flower.

Varieties

 * Lilium formosanum var. formosanum
 * Lilium formosanum var. microphyllum T.S.Liu & S.S.Ying

In indigenous culture
This flower is favoured among the Rukai people who call this flower bariangalay, the Rukai often wear them in headdresses during special occasions or ceremonies.