The lily is a beautiful flower ranked as the 4th most popular flower across the globe!
Lily is a flowering plant that belongs to the family Liliaceae.
Lily is perennial plant which means that it can survive more than two years in the wild.
Size of a lily depends on the species. It can grow from 0.6 to 1.8 meter (2 to 6 feet) in height, carrying four to eight blossoms. Sparse foliage is dark green. Because blooms open at various times, most lilies live one to two weeks. Colors include white, yellow, pink, red and orange; many have a deeper color (freckles) on the inner petal.
Based on the color or type, the Lily flower can convey different meanings:
White lily, modesty and virginity
Orange lily, passion
Yellow lily, gaiety
Lily of the valley, sweetness and purity of heart
Easter lily, symbol of Virgin Mary
Tiger lily, in Buddhism represents mercy and compassion
There are many kinds of flowers which have been called “Lilies” but many of these so-called Lilies such as the day-lily, water-lily, and arum-lily, actually belong to other groups of flowering plants.
Lily is not poisonous for humans. It is actually widely used in traditional Asian medicine for the treatment of depression and certain types of toxicities.
The oil extracted from lilies actually has been found to have healing and softening properties. The oil has been known to work well for cracked and dry skin.
Some species of lilies can be used as food. Bulbs of lily contain a lot of starch and they are used as root vegetables. Besides humans, insects, mice, squirrels and deer often eat wild lilies.
Unfortunately, several types of lilies have been found to be deadly to cats. Even small amount of pollen can induce poisoning in cats.