This plant is a native of the Western Himalayas. It is very uncommon in gardens. We have never possessed it, and know nothing of its culture.
The two lilies Lilium Roseum and Lilium Hookeri are now included in this genus, but they have been referred first to the lilies, then to the fritillaries, then back again to the lilies, and so on. And it is very doubtful if they are even now in their last resting-place.
The bulbs of these lilies are invested in dense membranous tunics like those of the daffodil. Lilium Roseum grows to about two feet high; L. Hookeri rarely reaches half this height. The leaves are said to bear bulblets in their axils. Six to thirty little nodding bell-like blossoms of a deep lilac colour are produced by L. Roseum, but L. Hookeri rarely produces more than eight blossoms. But little is known of these lilies. They are both natives of the Himalayas, and are said to be somewhat tender. They may be grown in a mixture of rubble, old bricks, sand, and leaf mould.
We have never grown them ourselves, as it is practically impossible to obtain bulbs. We have seen L. Roseum in blossom, and were not particularly impressed by it.
Had we been describing roses, chrysanthemums, hyacinths, or any other flowers which are highly cultivated, we would have dismissed the natural species with a very brief description, and turned our chief attention to the artificial varieties and hybrids.
But with lilies it is different. As we have seen, there are very many natural species. Indeed, the species almost outnumber the varieties, and these latter are rarely very different from the parent species. As regards double-flowered varieties, we have seen that only four lilies bear them, whereas nine-tenths of the cultivated varieties of roses and chrysanthemums are double.
[Photo by F. Hanfstaengl.