The genus lilium is the true lily and consists of about 110 species.  They are in the Liliaceae family. Today many ornamental lilies are hybrids.  Lilies are used for a few purposes, including flower gardens, herbs, and cut flowers. 

True lilies are plants grown from bulbs that are a loose scaly type.  Lilies have a leafy stem that can reach three or four feet tall.  The lily flowers are located at the top of stems, and each has six petals.  Lilies are available in a variety of colors.  Some, such as the swamp lily or American tiger lily will have spots on their petals.

Some lily plants are forced to bloom during the holidays and are sold as live plants.  Florists use them in cut flower arrangements.  The lilium longiflorum, also called the Easter lily, is native of Japan and is probably the most popular.  Lilium candidum or the Madonna lily is also very popular.  It is native to the Balkans and West Asia.

Lilies are starchy herbs that are widely used in China.  Three types in particular are grown as health foods to reduce internal heat.  The first type is lilium lancifolium, commonly called a tiger lily.  The second type is the lilium pumilum.  Its bulb can be used as a vegetable, and is cooked much like a potato.  The bulbs can also be used to thicken soup when they are finely graded.  The lilium brownii is the third type of eatable lily flower bulb.  This species is a protected plant in China.  The bulbs can be stir-fried and the taste is similar to potatoes.   

Poison notice:  The pollen of lilies, even the eatable ones, is poisonous to humans.  Also some other plants with lily in the common name are poisonous when consumed. Some species of lilium and hemerocallis lilies are poisonous to cats that eat them, causing kidney failure.