Easter lily
Lilium longiflorum Thunb.
Easter lily’s springtime shop display is a feat of cultivation rather than its ordinary outdoor schedule. Growers use controlled conditions to bring the bulbs into bloom for the holiday. Left to a garden cycle, this perennial produces a sturdy leafy stem and large, fragrant white trumpets in summer. University of Wisconsin Extension: Easter Lily, Lilium longiflorum
Botanical name
Lilium longiflorum Thunb. is accepted in Liliaceae. This species profile excludes colors and habits belonging only to interspecific lily hybrids. Kew Plants of the World Online: Lilium longiflorum
Recognizing the plant
The stem emerges from a bulb and develops additional roots along its underground portion. Narrow, lance-shaped leaves crowd the stem, reaching about 15 cm long. Flowers are carried near the top on strong stalks, facing outward rather than hanging straight down. Their overlapping petal-like segments form a long trumpet, commonly about 8–18 cm long. Vigorous plants can carry numerous blooms, while smaller plants have only a few. Bulb scales and small offsets can each develop into new bulbs. University of Wisconsin Extension: Easter Lily, Lilium longiflorum
Bloom window
Wisconsin, United States
University of Wisconsin’s garden account records July flowering outdoors in Wisconsin. Easter-flowering pots have been brought into bloom earlier under greenhouse conditions. University of Wisconsin Extension: Easter Lily, Lilium longiflorum
Native range
Kew places the native range along an East Asian island chain, from southern Japan, including Yakushima and Tanegashima, through the Ryukyu Islands and Taiwan to the Batan Islands and northern Luzon in the Philippines. Kew Plants of the World Online: Lilium longiflorum
Botanical sources
- Kew Plants of the World Online: Lilium longiflorum
- University of Wisconsin Extension: Easter Lily, Lilium longiflorum
Reviewed 2026-10-11. Seasonal development varies with location and growing conditions.