Weeds of Australia - Fact Sheet

Top Scientific Name Synonyms Family Common Names Origin Naturalised Distribution Notes

Scientific Name

Lilium lancifolium Thunb.

Synonyms

Lilium tigrinum Ker Gawl.

Family

Liliaceae

Common Names

devil lily, Easter lily, Japanese show lily, kentan, lance-leaf tiger lily, martagon, tiger lily

Origin

Native to eastern Asia (i.e. China, Korea and Japan).

Naturalised Distribution

This species currently has a limited distribution in some parts of south-eastern Australia. It is naturalised in Victoria and sparingly naturalised in the Central Tablelands region in eastern New South Wales.

Also naturalised in other temperate regions of the world (e.g. northern and eastern USA, Canada and New Zealand).

Notes

Tiger lily (Lilium lancifolium) is regarded as an emerging or potential environmental weed in Victoria. It was first recorded as naturalised in Victoria in 1985, where it was reported to be locally abundant in the Dandenong Ranges. This garden escape is also listed as a potential environmental weed species at Falls Creek in north-eastern Victoria, and has been observed growing along roadsides in the Mount Baw Baw National Park in south-eastern Victoria. Tiger lily (Lilium lancifolium) is currently mainly found in cooler highland areas and may be a potential weed of the alpine and sub-alpine regions of south-eastern Australia.

This species is also a widespread but sporadic garden escape in eastern and north-eastern North America, and seems to be naturalised mainly along roadsides in the cooler and wetter regions of this continent. However, there is one very recent report of thousands of tiger lilies (Lilium lancifolium) growing in large patches in natural vegetation on a mountain-top in North Carolina. It is also a weed of roadsides, waste places, cemeteries and bush margins in New Zealand.