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Japanese Lily

Lilium speciosum

Also called Showy Japanese Lily, Showy Lily, Speciosum Lily

Japanese Lily
Photo: Kelvinsong, CC BY 3.0

Lilium speciosum is an East Asian lily grown for its large, strongly scented white to pink flowers that bloom late in summer. It is a bulb that does best in cool, humid, lightly acidic soil with its bulb deeply planted and shaded at the base.

Family
Liliaceae (Lily family)
Grows as
Bulb
Light
Part shade
Water
Keep soil evenly moist during growth and avoid waterlogging.
Soil
Humus-rich, well-drained, slightly acidic soil.
Temperature
Hardy to about -15 °C; protect from prolonged heat above 30 °C.
How easy
Moderate
Safety
Toxic. Toxic to cats (ASPCA).
Native range
SE. China, Taiwan, Japan (Shikoku, Kyushu)
Climate
temperate

About

Lilium speciosum is an East Asian species of plants in the lily family. It is native to southern Japan and southern China, where it can be found at elevations of 600–900 metres (2,000–3,000 ft). It is sometimes called the Japanese lily though there are other species with this common name.

Lilium speciosum grows up to 1.2 metres (3 ft 11 in) tall and 0.3 metres (1 ft 0 in) wide, blooming from August to September in north temperate regions. The flowers are white to pink in colour, and strongly scented. It is later flowering than most other species. Many garden forms are in cultivation, and the species has been widely used for breeding of garden forms.

Safety

Lily pollen is toxic to domestic cats and ingestion is often fatal; households and gardens which are visited by cats are advised against growing lilies or placing lily 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. Prompt treatment with activated charcoal and/or induced vomiting can reduce the amount of toxin absorbed, and large amounts of fluid by IV can reduce damage to kidneys to increase the chances of survival.

Other Lilium plants

Gold Rayed Lily · Orange lily · Canada lily · Madonna lily · Columbia lily · David's Lily · Formosa lily · Hanson's Lily · Henry's lily · Humboldt lily · Tiger lily · Easter lily

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Lilium speciosum 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.

Pet safety from the ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists.

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