A true lily belongs to the genus Lilium. The genus belongs to an even greater family of plants known as the Liliaceae.
There are over 200 genera of plants in the larger Liliaceae family including familiar garden plants such as Asparagus, Agapanthus, Frittilaria, Hemerocallis, Hosta, and Scillia.
Many plants are commonly named with "Lily" as part of the common name that are not in fact lilies at all. Calla Lilies and Canna Lilies are two such plants that many people have used in their garden. The Calla Lily is part of a very large family of plants known as the Araceae. These include familiar house plants such as Philodendron, Scindapsus (Pathos), and Monstera (Spilt leaf Philodendrons). Canna Lilies come from the family Cannaceae. They are the only genus in the family comprised of nineteen species in total.
True lilies can be recognized by the fact they form bulbs underground, unlike the closely resembling flower of the Daylily or Hemerocallis which grows fleshy roots from a crown. -
Mike's Backyard Garden
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