Lilium regale - NZ Christmas Lily
Regal Lily, King’s Lily, Royal Lily.
In New Zealand it is called the NZ Christmas Lily flowering within a few days of Christmas each year.
Found naturally in China in Sichuan Province in South West China and discovered by the notable plant hunter EH Wilson (see below).
It is a long lived stem rooting bulb. In spring the new shoots may be affected by a late frost.
It can grow up to 2 metres high but usually grows to about 1.2metre high in the garden. Leaves are lanceolate (lance shaped) borne at irregular intervals along a strong upright stem.
The large trumpet shaped flowers are borne at the top of the stems and when in bud are flushed with purple. This purple flushing appears to vary between clones of this species and the ones with the darker purple flush are more attractive. On the inside the petals are white with a large yellow throat and very prominent stamens with long heavy pollen sacs. It is extremely fragrant and has been known to cause hay fever.
Pure white forms have been selected and are grown under the name Lilium regale ‘Album’. In the US a golden form “Royal Gold’ is grown and it was introduced into NZ some years ago.
It was collected by Ernest Henry Wilson, a professional plant collector sent out by Veitch’s Nursery in the UK.
In an article in the Gardeners Chronicle June 21 1913 pp 416, he says he “discovered this in August 1903 and introduced about 300 bulbs to their nursery where it flowered in 1905. Later in October 1910 he returned and some 6000 bulbs were dug in the wild, dried, packed and transported on men’s backs some 2000 miles across China to Shanghai and shipped on the SS Empress of Japan for Vancouver, BC. From Vancouver they were carried by express freight train to Boston where they arrived on 20 April 1911. The bulbs in due course were tumbled out of their cases into the ground and covered with soil. In July they flowered and in October a crop of seeds having safely gone through one of the driest seasons on record. After the seeds had been gathered the bulbs were dug up and planted.
The winter of 1911/12 was one of the most severe on record in this vicinity. The thermometer registered as much as 42 F of frost and the ground was frozen for 10 feet down (3 metres). The bulbs came through unscathed. This history speaks for the constitutional vigour and hardiness of this lily. It received no protection from frost or sun and was never given a drop of water other than that supplied by the clouds. L. regale is truly a royal Lily, worthy of a place in every garden; it is a lover of loam and sunshine.”
It has been awarded the Award of Garden Merit.
In New Zealand it is called the NZ Christmas Lily flowering within a few days of Christmas each year.
Found naturally in China in Sichuan Province in South West China and discovered by the notable plant hunter EH Wilson (see below).
It is a long lived stem rooting bulb. In spring the new shoots may be affected by a late frost.
It can grow up to 2 metres high but usually grows to about 1.2metre high in the garden. Leaves are lanceolate (lance shaped) borne at irregular intervals along a strong upright stem.
The large trumpet shaped flowers are borne at the top of the stems and when in bud are flushed with purple. This purple flushing appears to vary between clones of this species and the ones with the darker purple flush are more attractive. On the inside the petals are white with a large yellow throat and very prominent stamens with long heavy pollen sacs. It is extremely fragrant and has been known to cause hay fever.
Pure white forms have been selected and are grown under the name Lilium regale ‘Album’. In the US a golden form “Royal Gold’ is grown and it was introduced into NZ some years ago.
It was collected by Ernest Henry Wilson, a professional plant collector sent out by Veitch’s Nursery in the UK.
In an article in the Gardeners Chronicle June 21 1913 pp 416, he says he “discovered this in August 1903 and introduced about 300 bulbs to their nursery where it flowered in 1905. Later in October 1910 he returned and some 6000 bulbs were dug in the wild, dried, packed and transported on men’s backs some 2000 miles across China to Shanghai and shipped on the SS Empress of Japan for Vancouver, BC. From Vancouver they were carried by express freight train to Boston where they arrived on 20 April 1911. The bulbs in due course were tumbled out of their cases into the ground and covered with soil. In July they flowered and in October a crop of seeds having safely gone through one of the driest seasons on record. After the seeds had been gathered the bulbs were dug up and planted.
The winter of 1911/12 was one of the most severe on record in this vicinity. The thermometer registered as much as 42 F of frost and the ground was frozen for 10 feet down (3 metres). The bulbs came through unscathed. This history speaks for the constitutional vigour and hardiness of this lily. It received no protection from frost or sun and was never given a drop of water other than that supplied by the clouds. L. regale is truly a royal Lily, worthy of a place in every garden; it is a lover of loam and sunshine.”
It has been awarded the Award of Garden Merit.