Lilies are one of the most commonly used flowers for gifts. The beauty and the freshness of them are very captivating; you couldn’t possibly miss them when you see them amidst other beautiful blooms. The lily bouquet often is a choice for many people to send as a gift, be it for your special someone or to send on a special occasion for friends and family.
While lilies’ common meaning is innocence and fertility, each lily of different varieties and shades also holds a different meaning. For example, the one we will share today is about the orange-colored lily, which is also called the Tiger Lily. It is a flower that represents wealth, confidence, and pride. It is mostly categorized as a wildflower because it is growing wild around many parts of countries. Hence it also becomes the symbol of strong will and tenacity. Besides those meanings, the bright orange or pink colors that the flowers bring might deliver joy and happiness to people’s minds when they saw them.
To find the perfect examples of tiger lily bouquets, you need to know first about their appearance, getting to know about its history, understand its meaning and symbolism, and knows where it can be found, right in this article.
The history
The Tiger Lily is known as herbaceous perennials, which means that it will reach full height, produce its blooms within one year, and live longer than two years. It is also known in its scientific name, Lilum lanciforum or formerly Lilum tigerinum or Lilium superb. It also has many names in different countries. It is also called the “Ditch Lily” because you can find it growing in the wild. This plant originated from Asian countries, such as China, Japan, and Korea, and the Russian Far East. Some of them are also growing in some parts of eastern North America. For many years, it has been cultivated a lot in China.
These lilies are one of the oldest flowers ever cultivated in the world. Carl Von Linne, a famous Swedish botanist, has written about the flower in 1753. However, Ancient Chinese texts from about 2.000 years ago have also noted this flower’s appearance, where it was planted for food. It was later got introduced by William Kerr from Canton, China, and Britain back in 1804. In the middle of the 20th century, the flower isn’t cultivated for food anymore, and people turned their usage into garden plants and decorations. This plant has also earned an award in 2002 as the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit because of its healthy constitutions, pest resistance, and stable forms.
Image by Frantisek Krejci from Pixabay
The appearance
The Tiger Lily took its name from its appearance. While the Tigers have black stripes around their body, this flower has black spots around their orange-colored petals. You can find those black spots on the top side of the petals. Because of the petals’ color and the black spots all around, it becomes unique with a showy appearance that’ll make it easy to recognize it.
While it usually blooms in early summer, some of them also bloom in the middle of summer. Before it blooms, the petals are shaped like eggplant or tube. Slowly, as they bloom, they start to make a shape like a star. There is a total of six petals that will bloom. Some people also described the shape as similar to a Turkish hat because of the petals’ curl that went back to the flower base. It can reach about 4 to 6 inches tall and 3 inches wide with a strong and sweet scent. They grow very well in wet soils and quite easy to grow because they can even bloom in the wilds. They can also come in hybrid colors such as yellow, white, orange, or red with their dark dots all around the petals.
There are five species of this flower around the world. Some species are native only to the eastern and central North America, the southeastern side of North America, the western side of North America, and the center of China and the northern side of Asia to Japan. While some of these lilies are classified as a wildflower, some are also classified into oriental types. The difference is the oriental ones are planted by bulbs, while the wild ones grow from tuberous roots.
The meaning and symbolism
The meaning of flowers is often linked to each country’s cultures and their link to that place’s history. For example, white carnations are often used in weddings, while red roses are typically used on romantic occasions to express love and affection.
This plant represents wealth and affluence. However, there are no clear reasons why; people have already used it as the symbol of prosperity for a long time. Some said it is because of the black spots that look like money or coins. Some said it is because the Lilum lanciforum didn’t come at a cheap price, so giving this flower to someone as a gift is considered to be very special because of the value it holds. The orange color is often associated with high mental agility, which indicates achieving goals, wealth, and positive energy. Orange color can also be associated with masculinity.
Besides wealth, these lilies are also said to represent pride positively during the Victorian era. Because the flower has a vibrant and bold color, it always stands out among others. Thus it is strongly related to confidence in standing tall with its unique perks but not in an arrogant way. Hence, these flowers are often related to nobility back in the past. However, it is considered rude to give lilies as a gift in the Victorian era because lilies are often used during funerals.
In Japanese’s language of flowers or hanakotoba, this vibrant colored plant is called “oniyuri” or Ogre Lily, because of the colors that resemble the face of the ogre. It also symbolizes wealth and prosperity and can be seen growing a lot throughout Japan near waterways.
In Buddhism, the Lilum lanciforum represents the symbol of the virtues of compassion and mercy. Almost all lilies are generally associated with goddesses in mythology and different religions, however, this orange-colored flower is more often related to the aggressive feminine characters.
This flower was also used in the movie “Imagine Me and You”. The main character, named Luce, gave Tiger Lilies to the other character named Rachel to say “I dare you to love me” as its meaning.
In numerology, this bold-colored flower is numbered as 9. 9 is often related to creative expression.
Image by ILBONG NAM from Pixabay
The superstitions, myths, and cultural associations
Like other flowers that are often linked with folklore, superstitions, and many myths, the Tiger Lily is also one of them. In Greek mythology, Tiger Lily is related to the Queen of the Gods, and many Greek goddesses used it as their emblem. For example, the goddess Estre was said to be related to this flower.
Until now, people also have the superstitions that you will have freckles when you smell these flowers because it has many freckles in its petals. However, you need not worry; they aren’t toxic to humans and can even be eaten, but you should be careful if you have cats in your home. Tiger lilies are known to be toxic towards cats and can cause them to vomit, has kidney failure, or even worse, death. So took extra care not to let your cat around this plant.
Another superstition and myth also said that these lilies are a symbol of protection against harm. Those who believe in these superstitions often grow these plants in their homes or surroundings so they can function to repel ghosts, evil spirits, or all kinds of evil beings.
This flower has also been mentioned in an old legend in Asia. In the story, it was said that an arrow injured a tiger, then a Korean hermit helped to remove it. The tiger asked the hermit to use its power when it has died. The hermit agreed, and thus, when it has died, its body became a tiger lily. The Lilum lanciforum is also mentioned in the famous story, Alice in Wonderland, which was published in 1871. Alice asked a Tiger Lily to find her way out from the garden of living flowers.
The benefits and uses
Tiger Lilies are mostly used for decorations in the home and garden, or even wedding cakes and gifts these days, but do you know that they can also be used for medical treatments and can even be eaten?
The bulbs are said to taste like potatoes. Back then, the bulbs are dug up by the native Americans and Asians, then later boiled or steamed as a delicacy food. Until now, the dried buds are often used in a Chinese dish called moo shu pork. Another dish called the brown pear dessert dish also uses its bulb. The bulb is mixed with sugar, then placed inside the pear to be steamed.
Besides using it for food, it is also used as a traditional medicine that contains anti-inflammatory, diuretic, emollient, and expectorant effects. They are also used to treat heart diseases and even for strengthening eyelid muscles. Back then in Korea, because of this flower’s sedative effect, it is also used as a traditional medicine for cough, boils, sore throat, and can even treat bronchitis and pneumonia. It also helps relieve anxiety, stress, and depression if used in soup or tea or can be used in perfumes or sachets because of its calming aroma to soothe the mind and suppress anxiety. However, you need to beware of the pollen because it might contain toxic.
Image by Ebowalker from Pixabay
Tips for planting
The stunning orange of these speckled blooms surely will pique your interest in having them in your garden. They are best planted from bulbs in soil with good drainage. It can produce about ten flowers per stem. You can plant them in the spring or fall and expect them to bloom by early, middle, or late summer. It needs full sun or the partly-shaded sun to grow. Note that this flower can also contain several viral diseases that might affect other plants. One of them is the common mosaic virus, so these flowers are recommended to be isolated from other flowers and lilies.
Another interesting fact is that the hummingbird is often attracted to these flowers and may often visit them if you grow them yourselves in your garden.
Tiger Lily bouquets for gifts
Gifting these orange lilies for gifts in bouquets is perfect if you plan to give them as gifts to wish the receiver plenty of prosperity, wealth or signify that you like how their uniqueness and confidence stand out among others. Not only because of their vibrant colors, but these lilies also has spots around their petals that you will not find anywhere in any other flowers, which makes them much more unique.
The vibrant and bold colors of Tiger Lily surely will step up your gifts. This orange flower can also be used for wedding bouquets, mixed with other blooms with red or yellow colors that will help bring out a brighter shade for your bouquet. Aside from those reasons, having flowers in your home can reduce stress and boosts a relaxing environment.
You can find examples of Tiger Lily bouquets along with many more kinds of beautiful flowers and have them delivered right to your home today via gift delivery Singapore for your special gifts on many occasions, be it for your loved ones, family, or friends. FlowerAdvisor Sg is one of the florists who provides beautiful lily for yourself or as a gift.
Now that you have learned about the Tiger Lily in its eye-catching appearance, the meaning and history behind this vibrant orange, and its signature black spots, how about gifting one for someone or have it delivered to bring out its beaming delight and prosperity in your home?