lily-of-the-valley tree definition of lily-of-the-valley tree in the Free Online Encyclopedia.

lily, common name for the Liliaceae, a plant family numbering several thousand species of as many as 300 genera, widely distributed over the earth and particularly abundant in warm temperate and tropical regions. Most species are perennial herbs characterized by bulbs (or other forms of enlarged underground stem) from which grow erect clusters of narrow, grasslike leaves or leafy stems. A few are woody and some are small trees.

Evolutionally, the lily family is probably the basic monocotyledonous stock, its ancestors having given rise to the majority of contemporary monocots, e.g., the orchids, the palms, the iris and amaryllis families, and possibly also the grasses. The relationships between plants of the modern lily family are not always clear, and some botanists subdivide the Liliaceae into several families or, if they take a broader view of the family, include some groups such as the Agave and Amaryllis families.

Common Species

The name lily is used chiefly for plants of the genus Lilium and related species but is applied also to plants of other families, e.g., the water lily, the calla lily, and especially the numerous species of the amaryllis amaryllis (ăm'ərĭl`ĭs)
..... Click the link for more information. family (often included in the Liliaceae) whose blossoms closely resemble the true lilies in appearance. Familiar among North American species of Lilium are the wood lily (L. philadelphicum), Turk's-cap lily (L. superbum), and Canada, or wild yellow, lily (L. canadense) of the East and the leopard lily (L. pardalinum), Washington lily (L. washingtonianum), lemon lily (L. parryi), and Humboldt's lily (L. humboldtii) of the West. Widely cultivated and often naturalized Old World species are the Madonna lily (L. candidum) and the martagon lily (L. martagon), also called Turk's cap lily. The white trumpet lily (L. longiflorum) of Japan includes the Easter, or Bermuda, lily (var. eximium), which is the most popular greenhouse lily. The garden tiger lily is the Oriental species L. tigrinum, but many other lilies with spotted blossoms also bear the name.

Calochortus, mariposa or mariposa lily, is a genus of the lily family found in W North America. The white-blossomed sego lily (C. nuttallii) is the state flower of Utah. The day lilies, genus Hemerocallis [Gr.,=beautiful for a day], native to Central Europe and Asia, are much cultivated and often found naturalized along roadsides. The name day lily is occasionally used for the Oriental plantain lily genus (Hosta) because it too has short-lived flowers. The glory, or climbing, lilies (Gloriosa superba) are plants of tropical Asia and Africa that climb by means of tendrillike leaf tips.

Many common wildflowers also belong to the lily family, e.g., the asphodel asphodel (ăs`fədĕl'), name for plants of several genera of the family Lilaceae ( lily family).
..... Click the link for more information. , brodiea brodiea or brodiaea (both: brədē`ə), any plant of the genus Brodiaea,
..... Click the link for more information. , camass camass or camas (both: kăm`əs), any species of the genus Camassia (or Quamasia
..... Click the link for more information. , Canada mayflower (see mayflower mayflower, in botany, name for several spring-blooming plants. In England the hawthorn is called mayflower, or may; in North America the name is used for the trailing arbutus , the hepatica , and an herb (Maianthemum canadense
..... Click the link for more information. ), dogtooth violet dogtooth violet, originally a name for the Old World plant Erythronium denscanis, now applied also to several North American species of the same genus of the family Liliaceae ( lily family). The most common is E.
..... Click the link for more information. , greenbrier (see smilax smilax, common name for a florists' plant of two separate genera (Asparagus and Smilax), both of the family Liliaceae ( lily family, although some botanists recognize smilax as a separate family, the Similacaceae).
..... Click the link for more information. ), lily of the valley lily of the valley, common name for either of the two species of Convallaria, spring-blooming perennials of the family Liliaceae ( lily family). C. majalis, the species usually in cultivation, is native to Eurasia; C.
..... Click the link for more information. , Solomon's-seal Solomon's-seal, any plant of the genus Polygonatum, north-temperate perennial herbs of the family Liliaceae ( lily family). The hairy Solomon's-seal (P. pubescens) and the smooth Solomon's-seal (P.
..... Click the link for more information. , star-of-Bethlehem star-of-Bethlehem, in botany, low, spring-blooming bulbous plant (Ornithogalum umbellatum) of the family Liliaceae ( lily family), native to the Mediterranean region but naturalized in North America and cultivated in gardens.
..... Click the link for more information. , and trillium trillium or wake-robin (trĭl`ēəm), any plant of the large genus Trillium,
..... Click the link for more information. .

Economic Importance

Because of the showy blossoms characteristic of the family, many species are cultivated as ornamentals. This is the chief economic value of the Liliaceae; over 160 genera are represented in American trade. Types of hyacinth hyacinth, any plant of the genus Hyacinthus, bulbous herbs of the family Liliaceae ( lily family) native to the Mediterranean region and South Africa. The common, or Dutch, hyacinth of house and garden culture (derived from H.
..... Click the link for more information. , lily, meadow saffron meadow saffron or autumn crocus, perennial garden ornamental (Colchicum autumnale) of the family Liliaceae ( lily family). Native to Europe and N Africa, it has escaped from gardens to meadows and fields in some parts of the United States.
..... Click the link for more information. , squill squill, common name for two genera of Old World bulbous plants of the family Liliaceae ( lily family). The horticulturists' squill is any plant of the genus Scilla,
..... Click the link for more information. , and tulip tulip [Pers.,=turban], any plant of the large genus Tulipa, hardy, bulbous-rooted members of the family Liliaceae ( lily family), indigenous to north temperate regions of the Old World from the Mediterranean to Japan and growing most abundantly on the steppes
..... Click the link for more information. constitute the bulk of the "Dutch bulb" trade. Yucca yucca (yŭk`ə), any plant of the genus Yucca,
..... Click the link for more information. and aloe aloe (ăl`ō) [Gr.], any species of the genus Aloe,
..... Click the link for more information. species are popular succulents; the latter is also a drug source. Asparagus asparagus, perennial garden vegetable (Asparagus officinalis) of the family Liliaceae ( lily family), native to the E Mediterranean area and now naturalized over much of the world.
..... Click the link for more information. and plants of the onion onion, plant of the family Liliaceae ( lily family), of the same genus (Allium) as the chive (A. schoenoprasum), garlic (A. sativum), leek (A. porrum), and shallot (A. ascalonium).
..... Click the link for more information. genus are the only liliaceous food plants of commercial importance. A small tropical tree was the original source of dragon's blood dragon's blood, name for a red resin obtained from a number of different plants. It was held by early Greeks, Romans, and Arabs to have medicinal properties; Dioscorides and other early writers described it.
..... Click the link for more information. .

Symbolism

In religion and art the lily symbolizes purity, and as the flower of the Resurrection and of the Virgin it is widely used at Easter. The lily of the Bible (Cant. 2.1) has been variously identified with the scarlet anemone, Madonna lily, and other plants; the "lilies of the field" (Mat. 6.28) probably means any wildflowers, perhaps the iris.

Classification

Lilies are classified in the division Magnoliophyta Magnoliophyta (măg'nōlēŏf`ətə)
..... Click the link for more information. , class Liliopsida, order Liliales, family Liliaceae.

Bibliography

See F. F. Rockwell et al., The Complete Book of Lilies (1961); C. Feldmaier, Lilies (1970).

lily

1. any liliaceous perennial plant of the N temperate genus Lilium, such as the Turk's-cap lily and tiger lily, having scaly bulbs and showy typically pendulous flowers

2. the bulb or flower of any of these plants

3. any of various similar or related plants, such as the water lily, plantain lily, and day lily

lily

of then city-state Florence. [Flower Symbolism: Brewer Note-Book, 334]

See : Flower Or Plant, National

lily

emblematic of the Blessed Virgin Mary. [Christian Symbol-ism: Appleton, 39]

See : Purity

lily

symbol of Blessed Virgin; by extension, chastity. [Christian Symbolism: Appleton, 57–58]

See : Virginity

lily (redirected from lily-of-the-valley tree)

Common Species

Economic Importance

Symbolism

Classification

Bibliography

lily
(redirected from lily-of-the-valley tree)