国花系列:LILY (智利)

Name: Lilium candidum was the most significant flower symbol for Christians and suggested purity. As a symbol of purity associated with virgins it became known as the Madonna Lily.

Origin: One of the first descriptions of the lily dates from the Chinese Middle Ages "the plant flowers until late autumn and there are three types, red, yellow and purple".

Colour: Some forms (Lilium longiflorum, L. candidum, oriental lilies) are highly perfumed but white only; others (asiatic lilies) are highly coloured but scent-free

Availability: All year.

Care Tips: Remove the pollen stamens by pinching them together and pulling them up out of the flower. This prolongs the flower's life as well. Use sellotape to remove pollen, not water which will fix the stain.

Mythology: In Greek poetry, the lily stood for tenderness. It was also referred to as the voice of cicadas or of the muses. There is a Greek myth that tells us how the lily was born from the milk of the goddess Hera. The lily still symbolises pure, virginal love in the Christian world.

Medicinal: In the past, various flowers were used to prepare remedies in popular medicine. In China some served as lucky charms, while others were thought to be capable of averting the evil eye. In another historical account we read that people were interested in lilies for their anti-toxic powers and their capacity of curing depressions. In Europe, too, lilies were used as a remedy against a wide range of diseases and ailments right up to the beginning of the last century

学名：Lilium

别名：百合蒜、中逢花等。

科属：百合科百合属

产地及分布：中国、日本、北美和欧洲等温带地区。百合花姿雅致，叶片青翠娟秀，茎干亭亭玉立，是名贵的切花新秀。

形态特征：鳞片的外性是种的分类依据之一。多数百合的鳞片为披针形，无节，鳞片多为复瓦状排列于鳞茎盘上，组成鳞茎。茎表面通常绿色，或有棕色斑纹，或几乎全棕红色。茎通常圆柱形，无毛。叶呈螺旋状散生排列，少轮生。叶形有披针形、矩圆状披针形和倒披针形、椭圆形或条形。叶无柄或具短柄。叶全缘或有小乳头状突起。花大、单生、簇生或呈总状花序。花朵直立、下垂或平伸，花色常鲜艳。花被片6枚，分2轮，离生，常有靠合而成钟形、喇叭形。花色有白、黄、粉、红等多种颜色。雄蕊6枚，花丝细长，花药椭圆较大。

生长习性：百合耐寒，但最适生长温度在15--25度之间，低于10度或高于30度均生长不良。百合一般喜在ph值为5.5--6.5的偏酸性土壤及容重在1克/立方厘米以下富含腐殖质的土壤。忌水淹，喜半阴环境，但过度荫蔽会引起花茎徒长和花蕾脱落。

在遥远的古代，智利的百合花只有蓝、白两色。公元16世主己，印第安人阿拉乌加诺部族，与西班牙殖民者进行了不屈不捕的抗争。在民族英雄劳塔罗的领导下，阿拉乌加诺人把尔侵者打得落花流水，狼狈逃窜。正当义军节节胜利之际，却由于叛徒的出卖，仲塔罗和他的3万名爱国将士误中殖民主义者埋伏，经过浴血奋战，全部壮烈牺牲。第二年在天，爱国爱国志士捐躯的地方，漫山遍野绽开了红艳艳的百合花--"戈比爱"人们认为这是烈士们今血浇灌过的蓝色、白色百合变成的。因此，在智利获得国家独立后，人们一致赞成将"戈比爱"定为国花。智利国构思奇巧的国徽国案上，有一族美丽多姿、质朴可爱的花束，它就是一束红色的野百合花。