Liliumwallichianum Schult. & Schult.f., Syst. Veg. 7(2): 1689 (1830).

Lilium longiflorum Wall.

Perennial herbs, 70–180 cm tall. Bulbs on a creeping rooting stem, subglobose or ovoid to oblong, 2.5–7.5 × 3.5–6 cm; scales many, light brown, oblong or ovate-lanceolate, ca. 1.2 cm wide. Stems simple, erect, leafy, glabrous. Leaves scattered, denser in middle or upper part of stem, sessile, linear to lanceolate, 5–20 × 0.3–2.5 cm, apex acute to acuminate, margin entire, both surfaces glabrous, veins parallel, 1–3(–5). Inflorescences single terminal flower; bracts 1–3, leaf-like, arranged in whorl. Flowers large, funnel-shaped, narrowly tubular almost half the length towards base, horizontally held; pedicel 0.8–3 cm long. Tepals white or creamy white, often golden-yellow inside at base, lanceolate or narrowly elliptic, unequal, outer 14–22 × 2–3.5 cm, inner 14–22 × 2.5–4.5 cm, base narrowed below into a claw, apex slightly to strongly reflexed, obtuse; basal nectarines present adaxially, surface not fringed. Filaments 10–16 cm, glabrous; anthers greenish- or orange yellow to brown, linear-oblong, 1.2–2 cm, dorsifixed. Ovary narrowly cylindric or oblong, 3–4.5 × 0.2–0.5 cm; style 8.5–15 cm; stigma white or greenish brown, globose, often 3-lobed, 0.8–1 cm in diameter. Capsule loculicidal, oblong, 3.9–5.5 × 2–3.5 cm. Seeds many, compressed.

Nepal, W Himalaya, E Himalaya, Assam–Burma, and S Asia.

Key to Species

1 a. Leaves usually linear to 0.7 cm wide; pedicel short, upto 1.5 cm…………………………….……1. L. wallichianum var. wallichianum

  b. Leaves narrowly lanceolate to 2.5 cm wide; pedicel long, upto ca. 3 cm………………………2. L. wallichianum var. neilgherrense