Lilies are among the most celebrated flowering bulbs in the world, with a cultivation history stretching back more than 4,000 years to the earliest known depictions of the Madonna Lily in ancient Mediterranean art. True lilies belong to the genus Lilium, distinguished by six petals and six anthers, and there are roughly 90 to 100 recognized wild species native to temperate regions of North America, Europe, and especially Asia. From these species, breeders have developed thousands of hybrids, with individual plants ranging from just 12 inches to over 8 feet tall and blooms measuring anywhere from 2 to 12 inches across depending on the type.
The Royal Horticultural Society, which serves as the International Cultivar Registration Authority for lilies, organizes the genus into 9 official divisions based on parentage, flower form, and growth habit, including Asiatic, Martagon, Candidum, American, Longiflorum, Trumpet and Aurelian, Oriental, Interdivisional hybrids, and true Species. Asiatic types bloom earliest, generally in late spring to early summer on plants 18 inches to 4 feet tall, while Oriental and Trumpet types follow from midsummer into early fall on stems that can reach 5 to 8 feet, producing the largest and most fragrant blooms in the entire genus.
A mature lily stem can produce anywhere from 4 to over 40 blooms depending on the division and cultivar, with the tallest Orienpet and Trumpet hybrids, sometimes called tree lilies, capable of producing the most prolific flower counts. Fragrance varies enormously across the genus, with most Asiatic hybrids bred to be entirely unscented while Oriental and Trumpet types are prized for an intense, sweet perfume capable of scenting an entire garden from a single planting. Lily bulbs are notably long-lived, typically persisting and multiplying in the ground for 5 to 12 years under good conditions, with offset bulbs forming around the base of the mother bulb within the first several growing seasons.
Lilies carry deep symbolic meaning across nearly every culture that has cultivated them, generally representing purity, passion, wealth, or renewal depending on their color, and they remain one of the most popular cut flowers in the world thanks to a vase life that typically runs 7 to 14 days. All parts of a true lily are highly toxic to cats and, to a lesser degree, dogs, so pet owners are generally advised to plant them out of reach of curious animals. Whether grown as a naturalized wildflower, a dramatic border specimen, or a cut flower for bouquets, the sheer diversity of the Lilium genus means there is a type suited to nearly every garden style and climate.
Different Types of Lilies
Madonna Lily
Madonna Lily is one of the oldest cultivated lilies in the world, with documented use stretching back roughly 4,000 years in Mediterranean religious art. It produces outward-facing, trumpet-shaped white blooms in clusters of up to 20 per stem on plants reaching 3 to 4 feet tall, flowering in late spring with an intensely sweet fragrance.
Easter Lily
Easter Lily is the classic white, trumpet-shaped species most associated with spring holidays, though its natural bloom time is midsummer. Plants reach 2 to 3 feet tall with several large, fragrant, outward-facing flowers per stem, and commercial growers force the bulbs to bloom early for the holiday season.
Regale Lily
Regale Lily is a fragrant trumpet species native to China, producing white blooms with a vivid yellow throat and petals flushed purple-pink on the reverse. Plants reach 4 to 6 feet tall and typically produce 10 to 12 trumpet-shaped flowers per stem, opening in midsummer.
Tiger Lily
Tiger Lily is the species most associated with orange in the lily family, producing bowl-shaped, strongly recurved blooms covered in dark mahogany speckling. Mature plants reach 3 to 5 feet tall and produce shiny black bulblets along the stem, tolerating USDA zones as cold as zone 3.
Formosa Lily
Formosa Lily is a tall, exotic species native to Taiwan, closely related to the Easter Lily, producing large, trumpet-shaped white blooms with a light fragrance. Stems can reach 4 to 6 feet, flowering from mid to late summer and self-seeding readily in favorable conditions.
Goldband Lily
Goldband Lily is a striking species native to Japan combining a predominantly white flower with a bold golden stripe down the center of each petal. Blooms can reach 8 to 10 inches across, among the largest of any lily species, on stems 3 to 5 feet tall.
Michigan Lily
Michigan Lily is a native North American species with nodding, strongly recurved orange-yellow blooms speckled with maroon spots, closely related to other native Turk’s Cap types. It reaches 3 to 5 feet tall, flowering in mid to late summer in moist meadows and prairies.
Wood Lily
Wood Lily, also known as the Philadelphia Lily, produces upward-facing, star-shaped red-orange blooms with a yellow, speckled center. It stays relatively short, generally 1 to 3 feet tall, flowering from midsummer into August in cooler climates.
Columbia Lily
Columbia Lily is a native perennial wildflower found along North America’s West Coast, sometimes called the wild tiger lily, producing reflexed, nodding orange blooms freckled in brick red. A single bulb can produce up to 20 blooms, with plants reaching 2 to 6 feet tall.
American Turk’s Cap Lily
American Turk’s Cap Lily, also called the Swamp Lily, is a native species that thrives in damp conditions unusual for most lilies, producing deep orange blooms with dark spotting and a green star at the center. It can produce up to 50 nodding blooms on a single mature stem reaching 3 to 6 feet tall.
Canada Lily
Canada Lily is a native species producing bell-shaped, nodding blooms in shades from pale yellow to orange-red with light speckling, held on graceful stems reaching 3 to 5 feet. It flowers in early to midsummer, favoring moist meadows and open woodland edges across the eastern United States and Canada.
Carolina Lily
Carolina Lily is a native North American species producing nodding, strongly recurved blooms in soft purple-lavender tones blending into orange near the throat. It typically grows 2 to 3 feet tall, flowering in mid to late summer in dry, acidic woodland soil across the southeastern United States.
Kellogg’s Lily
Kellogg’s Lily is a large North American species native to the Pacific coast, producing showy, down-facing, hanging blooms in warm orange tones with recurved petals. It is valued by native plant gardeners for its architectural form and ability to naturalize in appropriate woodland habitat.
Sulphur Lily
Sulphur Lily is a fragrant trumpet species with pale, soft yellow blooms that flare outward from a narrow throat. It can reach 4 to 6 feet tall, flowering in mid to late summer, native to parts of Southeast Asia, and has been used to breed several fragrant hybrid Trumpet lines.
Nepal Lily
Nepal Lily is a species with unusual greenish-yellow, funnel-shaped blooms accented by a deep maroon throat. It typically reaches 3 to 4 feet tall, flowering in mid to late summer, preferring partial shade and consistently moist soil, and is considered more challenging to grow than typical hybrids.
Pyrenean Lily
Pyrenean Lily is a species native to the mountains of southern Europe, producing small, sulfur-yellow, strongly recurved blooms with dark speckling in a distinctive Turk’s Cap shape. It typically grows 2 to 3 feet tall, flowering in early summer, and has been cultivated in European gardens for centuries.
Chinese Trumpet Lily
Chinese Trumpet Lily is a fragrant species with pale yellow to creamy white blooms, closely related to some of the most influential Trumpet species discovered in China in the early 20th century. It reaches 3 to 5 feet tall, flowering in midsummer, and played a foundational role in breeding many modern Trumpet hybrids.
Rubellum Lily
Rubellum Lily is a fragrant species native to Japan, producing pale to medium pink, bell-shaped blooms on stems reaching just 1 to 2 feet tall, considerably shorter than most hybrid types. It flowers in early summer, ahead of most other species, favoring naturalistic and woodland-edge plantings.
Japanese Turk’s Cap Lily
Japanese Turk’s Cap Lily is a vigorous, erect species producing racemes of up to 12 small, fragrant, bright yellow-orange blooms in early summer. Its compact clusters of recurved flowers give it a delicate appearance distinct from larger hybrid Turk’s Cap types.
Common Martagon Lily
Common Martagon Lily is the wild species behind the entire Martagon division, producing small, strongly recurved blooms in dusky purple-pink speckled with darker spotting. It tolerates more shade than most true lilies, reaching 3 to 4 feet tall, and can take 2 to 3 years to fully establish.
Connecticut King
Connecticut King is a classic Asiatic cultivar with bright, golden-yellow, upward-facing blooms that showcase their color clearly against the sky. This reliable performer grows to about 3 feet tall and produces multiple flowers per stem in early summer.
King Pete
King Pete is an Asiatic cultivar with soft yellow petals splashed in tangerine orange and speckled with light brown freckles. It typically reaches 24 to 30 inches tall, flowering in early summer with stiff, outward-facing stamens.
Enchantment
Enchantment is a classic Asiatic cultivar with deep orange, upward-facing blooms measuring 4 to 6 inches wide, marked with brown to red freckling. Thick, sturdy stems hold up well in high winds, and this cultivar spreads reliably by clump for many years.
Netty’s Pride
Netty’s Pride is a famous bicolor Asiatic cultivar featuring dark plum petals with contrasting white tips and centers, an unusual pattern compared to most bicolor lilies. Chartreuse green anthers add contrast, and it blooms on stems 3 to 4 feet tall in late spring.
Purple Dream
Purple Dream is an Asiatic cultivar with a deep blackish-purple center fading into reddish-purple toward the petal edges. Its star-shaped blooms face upward with orange-tipped anthers, typically producing 5 to 9 flowers per plant on stems 32 to 40 inches tall.
Purple Marble
Purple Marble produces solid burgundy-purple petals with a silky finish, facing outward to slightly downward on stems that resist browning as they age. It attracts bees and occasional hummingbirds and spreads readily by clump once established.
Landini
Landini is one of the darkest Asiatic cultivars available, producing deep burgundy-red blooms so richly colored they can appear almost black in low light. Plants generally reach 24 to 30 inches tall, opening in early summer and holding their intense color well in full sun.
Tango
Tango is a vividly colored Asiatic cultivar with bright red-orange, upward-facing blooms often marked with darker freckling near the center. It reaches 24 to 28 inches tall, flowering reliably in early summer with a high bud count per stem.
Grand Cru
Grand Cru is a widely grown Asiatic cultivar featuring deep red petals that fade to a bright yellow base, creating a bold sunburst effect. It reaches 24 to 32 inches tall and produces multiple upward-facing flowers per stem in early summer.
Red Carpet
Red Carpet is a classic Asiatic cultivar valued for its bright, saturated red, upward-facing blooms and early summer flowering. Like most Asiatic types it is unscented, staying relatively short at 24 to 30 inches tall.
Red Twin
Red Twin is an award-winning Asiatic cultivar producing large, 7-inch, salsa-red double blooms with an elegantly formed inner layer of narrow, reflexed petals. It typically stays under 30 inches tall, adding fire to the early summer border.
Cancun
Cancun is a vividly colored Asiatic cultivar with bright red-orange blooms and a compact, uniform growth habit, typically reaching 24 to 28 inches tall. It flowers in early summer with several blooms per stem and little fragrance.
Brunello
Brunello is an Asiatic cultivar with bowl-shaped, pale orange blooms giving off a creamsicle-like glow, produced on stems reaching 2 to 3 feet tall. A single plant can offer up to 12 flowers reaching widths of 8 inches, above waxy, arching foliage.
Orange Ton
Orange Ton produces velvety orange, trumpet-shaped blooms with a subtle shift from light orange at the midrib to darker pumpkin at the margins. Flowers reach an extra-large 8 inches wide, appearing plentifully on each stem in midsummer.
Easy Love
Easy Love is a pollen-free Asiatic cultivar with brilliant orange-red, upward-facing blooms measuring nearly 7 inches wide. Each plant produces 5 to 9 blooms from multiple points along stems exceeding 3 feet tall.
Fireball
Fireball lives up to its name with intensely bright, orange-red blooms glowing against dark green foliage, on sturdy Asiatic-type stems reaching 24 to 30 inches tall. It flowers in early summer with multiple upward-facing blooms per stem.
Monte Negro
Monte Negro produces some of the deepest, most saturated red blooms in the Asiatic division, with a velvety texture that intensifies under bright sunlight. Plants typically reach 24 to 30 inches tall, flowering in early summer.
Matrix
Matrix is a compact Asiatic cultivar with rich, velvety red blooms and a tidy, uniform growth habit, typically staying between 20 and 26 inches tall. It flowers early in the season with unscented, upward-facing blooms.
Fangio
Fangio produces bold, fiery red blooms on sturdy, compact Asiatic-type stems, generally reaching 24 to 28 inches tall with multiple flowers per stem in early summer. It is unscented and requires minimal maintenance once established.
Corina
Corina is a dark red Asiatic cultivar known for its exceptionally uniform bloom color and reliable early summer flowering, typically reaching 24 to 30 inches in height. Its blooms hold their deep coloring from bud to full bloom without significant fading.
Zambesi
Zambesi is a bold Asiatic bicolor cultivar combining a bright yellow petal base with a deep red center, creating a striking sunburst pattern. It typically reaches 24 to 30 inches tall and flowers in early summer with a high bud count.
Cocotte
Cocotte produces flat, ovate, pineapple-yellow petals with cherry-red margins and anthers, giving each bloom a lively, tropical two-tone effect. Plants have a rounded, bushy growth habit, typically staying under 28 inches tall.
Citronella
Citronella is a tall Asiatic cultivar reaching up to 5 feet, with pendant, reflexed blooms in golden amber to lemon yellow marked with black speckling. Mature stems can eventually carry up to 20 blossoms.
Sunny Bonaire
Sunny Bonaire is an Asiatic cultivar producing cheerful, bright yellow, upward-facing blooms on compact stems generally reaching 24 to 30 inches tall. It flowers in early summer with the typical Asiatic lack of fragrance.
Tiny Moon
Tiny Moon is a dwarf Asiatic cultivar bred for container growing, staying under 16 to 18 inches tall while producing bright yellow, upward-facing blooms. Its compact size makes it especially useful for patios and small spaces.
Tiny Todd
Tiny Todd is a compact Asiatic cultivar reaching only 12 to 16 inches in height, with semi-flat, upward-facing pink blooms deepening toward the margins. A single bulb can produce up to 9 delicate flowers.
Tiny Ghost
Tiny Ghost is a dwarf Asiatic cultivar staying just 18 to 22 inches tall, producing cherry-red, strongly reflexed petals well suited to containers 12 inches wide or more. Its reduced chilling requirement makes it easier to overwinter in marginal climates.
Rosella’s Dream
Rosella’s Dream is an Asiatic cultivar with flat, single-form blooms in cherry pink with buttery yellow centers and red-tipped anthers. It is one of the earliest lilies to flower each season, holding its color for approximately 4 weeks.
Salmon Twinkle
Salmon Twinkle produces delicate, outward-facing blooms with a soft yellow base feathered in pink blush deepening toward the tips. This nearly scentless Asiatic cultivar produces an unusually high bud count of 12 to 20 blooms per stem.
Starlight
Starlight is a striking Oriental cultivar with vivid fuchsia petals freckled in scarlet and bordered in white, opening from chartreuse green buds. Its shrubby, full growth habit has made it a favorite among lily enthusiasts with dedicated cutting gardens.
Forever Susan
Forever Susan is a striking Asiatic cultivar combining bright magenta, deep purple, and orange in a single bloom, with a yellow-orange throat freckled in purple. It flowers in early summer on compact, unscented stems typical of the Asiatic division.
Purple Eye
Purple Eye is a rare bicolor Asiatic cultivar with a deep, blackish-purple center fading into reddish-purple toward the petal tips, closely related to Netty’s Pride. Plants typically reach 32 to 40 inches tall and are hardy across USDA zones 3 through 9.
Dark Secret
Dark Secret is considered the darkest cultivar among the Asiatic Longiflorum group, with deep plum to dark red petals contrasted by bright orange pistils. It is one of the earliest lilies to bloom each summer and is unscented.
Cappuccino
Cappuccino is a popular purple-toned Asiatic cultivar known for rich, warm-toned blooms blending deep plum shades with hints of brown. It performs well in mixed borders, flowering in early to midsummer.
Tiny Poems
Tiny Poems is a dwarf Asiatic cultivar with rich, aubergine-toned petals that can appear nearly black in dim light, brightened by delicate pink tips. Specially bred for container growing, its blooms measure about 4 inches across.
Côte d’Azur
Côte d’Azur is an Asiatic cultivar with cool, violet-blue toned blooms bringing an unusually crisp quality to the purple lily palette. It shares the general early-summer bloom time and unscented flowers typical of its division, reaching 24 to 30 inches tall.
Purple Star Lily
Purple Star Lily describes a group of upward-facing Asiatic hybrids bred for deep, saturated violet coloring in a classic star-shaped bloom, generally reaching 24 to 30 inches tall. These hybrids offer reliable purple color early in the lily season.
Royal Sunset
Royal Sunset is an Asiatic-Longiflorum hybrid with large, upward-facing blooms measuring 4 to 6 inches across, blending burnt orange, apricot, gold, and rose. Its coloring shifts depending on sunlight intensity, flowering for about a month at the start of summer.
Orange Pixie
Orange Pixie is a hardy, dwarf Asiatic hybrid and one of the shortest lily types available, generally staying between 2 and 3 feet tall while producing large, upward-facing orange blooms without fragrance.
Orange Marmalade
Orange Marmalade produces dainty, star-shaped, bright tangerine-orange blooms with strongly recurved petals resembling a Turk’s Cap. Up to 30 blooms are possible on a single stem, making it ideal for naturalizing.
Stargazer
Stargazer is arguably the most famous pink lily in cultivation, introduced in the 1970s as a cross between two Oriental species. Its bowl-shaped blooms are predominantly crimson-pink with white margins, and each stem, averaging 3 to 4 feet tall, produces 4 to 12 fragrant flowers.
Casablanca
Casablanca is widely regarded as the finest white Oriental lily ever bred, producing large, bowl-shaped blooms up to 8 to 9 inches across with gracefully recurved petals. A single stem typically carries 6 to 8 blossoms on plants reaching 3 to 4 feet tall.
Mona Lisa
Mona Lisa is a disease-resistant Oriental cultivar with soft pink petals and a contrasting yellow throat, reaching 3 to 4 feet tall with strongly fragrant blooms in mid to late summer.
Muscadet
Muscadet features pristine, pale pink petals brushed with deeper pink freckling, producing large, showy Oriental blooms atop sturdy stems reaching 3 to 4 feet tall. Its subtle coloring makes it popular for both garden beds and cutting gardens.
Journey’s End
Journey’s End is a well-known Oriental cultivar with rich pink, outward-facing blooms and a strong, classic lily fragrance, typically reaching 3 to 4 feet tall and flowering in mid to late summer.
Sorbonne
Sorbonne is one of the most widely grown Oriental cultivars in the global cut flower trade, producing large, rich pink blooms with a strong fragrance on stems reaching 2 to 3 feet tall, more compact than most other Oriental types.
Black Beauty
Black Beauty is a dramatic Oriental hybrid with deep, dark purple to near-black recurved petals and unique green centers. It can reach 5 to 7 feet tall once established and carries a strong fragrance.
Marco Polo
Marco Polo is an elegant Oriental cultivar producing 5 to 10 upward-facing blooms per stem, each averaging 8 inches wide with lavender-purple petals accented by pale yellow midribs and a sweet, light fragrance.
Tom Pouce
Tom Pouce, named after a Dutch pastry, is an Oriental cultivar producing fragrant, star-shaped blooms over 8 inches wide in shades of soft purple and pink with yellow ribbing. It blooms in mid to late summer.
Souvenir
Souvenir is an Oriental cultivar with enormous, bowl-shaped blooms reaching up to 6 inches wide, featuring snow-white petal bases blending gradually into soft lavender at the tips. Its compact size suits containers well.
Gaucho
Gaucho is an Oriental cultivar with rich pink, fragrant blooms produced on sturdy stems reaching 3 to 4 feet tall, flowering in mid to late summer alongside other members of its division.
Lavon
Lavon is another well-regarded Oriental cultivar with soft to medium pink blooms and the strong, sweet fragrance typical of the division, reaching 3 to 4 feet tall and flowering in mid to late summer.
Salmon Star
Salmon Star is an Oriental cultivar with warm, salmon-pink blooms and a strong, classic lily fragrance, typically reaching 3 to 4 feet tall and flowering in mid to late summer, bridging the gap between pink and orange tones.
African Queen
African Queen is a celebrated Trumpet division cultivar with huge, tubular apricot-orange blooms marked with garnet-brown shading, hanging downward from sturdy stems that can reach 6 feet tall. A single stem can produce up to 20 fragrant blossoms.
Golden Splendor
Golden Splendor is a celebrated Trumpet division cultivar with bronze-tinted stems and deep golden, outward-facing blooms measuring 6 to 8 inches long. Once established, a single stem can produce 12 to 20 blooms, reaching 4 to 6 feet tall.
Regale Album
Regale Album is a pure white selection of the Regale species, lacking the purplish flush found on the standard form. It reaches 5 to 6 feet tall, with sturdy stems capable of producing multiple 5 to 6 inch trumpets that curve backward to reveal a yellow throat.
Purissima
Purissima is a Trumpet and Aurelian division cultivar valued for its exceptionally pure, unblemished white blooms and strong, upright growth habit. It typically reaches 4 to 5 feet tall, with each stem producing 6 to 10 large, fragrant trumpets.
Copper King
Copper King is an Aurelian hybrid with warm, coppery-gold blooms that flare into a wide, sunburst shape typical of the Aurelian group’s parentage. It reaches 4 to 6 feet tall and flowers in mid to late summer with a rich fragrance.
Purple Trumpet Lily
Purple Trumpet Lily describes a category of Trumpet and Aurelian hybrids bred to introduce violet and plum tones into the typically white, yellow, and pink Trumpet color range. These hybrids typically reach 4 to 6 feet tall with large, fragrant blooms.
Mount Everest
Mount Everest is a tall Trumpet division cultivar named for its towering height and snow-white color, typically reaching 4 to 5 feet with strong stems capable of supporting 8 or more fragrant blooms.
Scheherazade
Scheherazade is a towering Orienpet hybrid, often nicknamed a “Tree Lily” for its imposing 7-foot height, producing huge raspberry-red blooms averaging 7 to 10 inches wide with a cream-to-gold throat. A single plant can produce up to 40 down-facing flowers.
Silk Road
Silk Road is a giant Orienpet hybrid with creamy white exteriors and a bold crimson throat, producing blooms averaging 8 to 10 inches wide on stiff, upright stems. It is especially prized for its unusually long bloom time.
Zeba
Zeba is an Oriental Trumpet hybrid that produces creamy green petals with bold red centers and speckled freckling, with flowers that can measure up to a foot wide on mature specimens.
Sensi
Sensi produces fragrant, ruffled pink-red blooms with rosy petals that face both upward and outward on tall, shrub-like stems. Its light, fruity fragrance is noticeable but not overpowering.
Montreux
Montreux is an Orienpet hybrid combining the heat tolerance and vigor of Trumpet lilies with the fragrance and flower size of Oriental types. It typically reaches 4 to 5 feet tall and holds up well in humid or high-temperature conditions.
Beverly Dream
Beverly Dream is an Orienpet hybrid with crimson-red petals accented by a band of white at the base, produced on sturdy stems that reach 4 to 5 feet tall with 8 to 12 spicy-sweet scented blooms per stem.
Blackout
Blackout is among the darkest lilies available, with near-black maroon petals carrying a subtle crimson sheen. It reaches 4 to 5 feet tall with 10 to 15 blooms per stem and produces the strongest fragrance of any red-toned cultivar.
Purple Prince
Purple Prince is a massive Oriental-Trumpet hybrid, one of the largest lily cultivars available, with upward-facing blooms measuring 8 inches wide in a rich grape color. It can reach 6 to 8 feet at full maturity, producing 20 to 30 blossoms per plant.
Purple Lady
Purple Lady is a towering Oriental-Trumpet hybrid capable of reaching up to 8 feet tall by its third year, with massive 8-inch blooms in a stunning purple-pink shade accented by a cream midrib and a chartreuse green center.
Miss Peculiar
Miss Peculiar is a jumbo Oriental Trumpet hybrid with creamy white petals brightened by bold golden-yellow stars at the throat, producing blooms that can measure up to a foot wide. It reaches 4 to 5 feet tall, flowering in mid to late summer.