Lilium bulbiferum is a hardy European lily grown from underground bulbs, producing orange flowers in early summer. It likes sun and well-drained, often lime-rich soil.
Family
Liliaceae (Lily family)
Grows as
Bulb
Light
Full sun, Part shade
Water
Water regularly during growth and let the top of the soil dry slightly between waterings; avoid waterlogging.
Soil
Well-drained, preferably lime-rich or neutral to slightly acid loam.
Temperature
Hardy to about -20 °C; grows well in cool temperate summers.
How easy
Easy
Safety
Toxic
Native range
C. Europe to Romania, Corse
Climate
temperate
About
Lilium bulbiferum, common names orange lily, fire lily, Jimmy's Bane, tiger lily and St. John's Lily, is a herbaceous European lily with underground bulbs, belonging to the Liliaceae.
The Latin name bulbiferum of this species, meaning "bearing bulbs", refers to the secondary bulbs on the stem of the nominal subspecies.
Safety
Cats are extremely sensitive to lily toxicity and ingestion is often fatal; households and gardens which are visited by cats are strongly advised against keeping this plant or placing dried flowers where a cat may brush against them and become dusted with pollen which they then consume while cleaning. Suspected cases require urgent veterinary attention. Rapid treatment with activated charcoal or induced vomiting can reduce the amount of toxin absorbed (this is time-sensitive so in some cases veterinarians may advise doing it at home), and large amounts of fluid by IV can reduce damage to kidneys to increase the chances of survival.
Where it grows
L. bulbiferum is widely distributed in much of Europe from Spain to Finland and Ukraine. It grows in mountain meadows and on hillsides. They prefer calcareous soils in warm, sunny places, but also grow on slightly acid soils. They can be found at an altitude of 500–1,900 metres (1,600–6,200 ft) above sea level.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Lilium bulbiferum by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.