Lilium longiflorum (Easter lily, "Teppoyuri")

Japanese name: テッポウユリ （鉄砲百合）
Scientific name: Lilium longiflorum

[Overview]
A perennial 50–100 cm tall.
It is found on cliffs near the coast and similar places.
Underground it has a fleshy, yellowish-white, oblate bulb 5–6 cm across. The bulb is strongly bitter.
Leaves are simple and alternate, lanceolate, 10–18 cm long, with entire margins. The leaf surface is glossy.
There is no leaf stalk.
A raceme at the top of the stem bears several flowers that open facing sideways.
The flowers are trumpet-shaped. The tepals are slightly recurved at the tips, 10–16 cm long and white, without spots.
The flowers are fragrant.
The pollen is yellow.
The fruit is an oblong capsule 6–9 cm long.

[Uses]
In Europe and America it is widely used in place of the Madonna lily as the lily for Easter.

[Cultivation]
Propagate by bulb division or from seed.
It prefers sunny, well-drained soil rich in humus.
Avoid excess moisture and ensure good drainage and ventilation. In winter, protect it from cold wind.
For potted plants, water when the soil surface dries; for plants in the ground, watering is unnecessary unless it becomes severely dry.
As a base fertilizer, give a slow-release fertilizer mainly of phosphorus and potassium, and from spring until the flowering period apply a top dressing with equal amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.
Pests and diseases include virus disease, rot and aphids.

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