tiger lily

Like other true lilies, the flowers are borne on upright stems that are 80–200 centimetres (31–79 inches) tall and bear lanceolate leaves 6–10 cm (2+1⁄2–4 in) long and 1–2 cm (3⁄8–3⁄4 in) broad. L. lancifolium produces aerial bulblets, known as bulbils, in the leaf axils. These bulbils are uncommon in Lilium species and they produce new plants that are clones of the original plant. The flowers are odorless. Each lasts a few days and if pollinated produces capsules with many thin seeds. Extrafloral nectaries on the species were first noted by Zimmerman 1932.

Reproduction. These lilies are capable of both sexual and asexual reproduction, dependent on the cytotype. Some populations of the plant are diploid (have two copies of their chromosomes) and some populations are triploid (have three copies of their chromosomes). The North American population is mainly triploid, while the Asian populations may be either. The diploid populations can undergo both forms of reproduction. The triploid populations, however, are sterile and limited to asexual reproduction only. They mainly reproduce by forming bulbils in the leaf axis.

It is cultivated and wild foraged in Asia for its edible bulbs. The cultivar 'Splendens' has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. In Taiwan, both the flower and bulbs are used as food, as are the other related species: L. brownii var. viridulum, L. pumilum and L. candidum.