Background

The lily, Lilium belonging to Liliaceae, perennial bulbiferous herbs distributed in temperate areas of the northern hemisphere. Among 115 species of the genus found in the world , 55 are endemic to China. Its underground bulb forms by many fleshy scaled imbricated closely, hence lily is called "Baihe" in Chinese (which means a hundred scales packed together). It is regarded as a symbol of unity and friendship. During greeting seasons, people present lily flowers to each other as gifts, expressing their wish of "happiness and harmony in a family for a hundred years". Their large, gorgeous flowers are often funnelform or campanulate in shape, usually white, sometimes red, purple, pink, yellow or greenish in colour. Lily flowers have been famous and precious, but popular since ancient times for their graceful shape and elegant style. It has been chosen to be the national flower in many countries.

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