About Lilium martagon L.
Lilium martagon L. is a stem-rooting lily that grows 1 to 2 meters (3 ft 3 in to 6 ft 7 in) tall. Its flowers are typically pink-purple with dark spots, but flower colour varies widely, ranging from almost white to almost black. The flowers are scented, and each plant produces many blooms; vigorous individuals can bear up to 50 flowers. Its green stems may have purple or red flushing, and its leaves are elliptic to inversely lanceolate. Leaves are mostly arranged in whorls, reach up to 16 centimetres (6.3 in) in length, and often have a light covering of hairs on their undersides.
In horticultural classification, this true species belongs to Lilium Division IX. It has been awarded the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. At the end of the 19th century, Mrs R. O. Backhouse of Hereford, England used Lilium martagon to create hybrids with Lilium hansonii.
