There is a great variety of lilies although all of them maintain similar characteristics that make them different from other plants. They are considered very beautiful plants perfect for decoration and gardens, both public and private. They are also a good gift option.
Today we are going to talk about lily of the pyrenees scientific name Pyrenean lily. Do you want to know their characteristics and how to take care of them?
Features
The lily of the Pyrenees is a phanerogamic species belonging to the Liliaceae family. As its name suggests, its habitat is in the Pyrenees. However, its area of distribution It is capable of spreading over other mountains in Spain and even to other mountains in the world, such as the Caucasus area.
It is well known for its great beauty and can exceed one meter in height if it grows in good conditions. In some areas of Spain it is called Azucena de los Pirineos.
On every floor usually 12 yellow flowers growalthough depending on the varieties they can be found with more orange tones or even red. It is famous for the bad smell that it releases on some occasions.
It is a perennial plant and has an underground bulb. Its leaves are whorled and alternate. The stem can reach up tol reach heights of up to 1,3 meters. When blooming, the flowers are arranged in clusters with six recurved sepals. The fruit of this plant is an ovoid-shaped capsule.
Distribution and habitat
As mentioned before, although this plant grows mainly in the Pyrenees, it can be found in other mountains in Spain and even outside the peninsula. It is a plant whose habitat requires abundant humidity, soils rich in water and large meadows oriented to shady areas and slopes that help maintain humidity.
The time in which it usually grows is between June and August and it does so at heights between 1.200 and 2.100 meters. It is a difficult plant to find. When they begin to bloom, they do not do so isolated or separated from each other, but usually grow accompanied by many other specimens. They are forming like small gardens of lilies in the middle of the mountains.
Due to its high need for humidity, human impact and drought, the lily of the Pyrenees is considered a threatened species in the areas of Euskadi, Aragon and Catalonia.
Care
The lily of the Pyrenees, like the rest of the lilies, require some special care. Because this plant usually grows in heights, it is necessary to have some guidelines so that it can survive in good condition.
- The place where you should place the lily has to have good drainage to avoid waterlogging at all times. If in your garden you do not have places with good drainage, you can make a small mound so that gravity takes care of draining the rest.
- When you plant the lily, you have to take into account that, although the aerial part needs light, the bulb must be kept moist and underground.
- It needs a medium or high lighting. The plant will grow in better conditions, as long as it is kept for a few hours in full sunlight and then in semi-shade. In this way we will be imitating their natural conditions.
- The temperatures cannot be very high, since at those heights the temperature is usually lower. Ideally, the plant should be kept at a temperature between 10 and 20 degrees throughout the year.
- They need normal garden soil with a calcareous and clayey composition.
- As for watering, it should be done once or twice a week, always keeping the humidity in the plant, but without ever getting waterlogged.
If we want to multiply this plant to have a beautiful garden of Pyrenean lilies, we have to make a subdivision of the rhizomes between the months of August and September, which is when they grow best. To have a more abundant and healthy flowering, the ideal is to divide the rhizomes when the plant is three years old. Also, it is important respect about 15 centimeters between lily and lily so that its growth is not affected by the other specimen.
Curiosities
To finish, I am going to tell you some curiosities about this plant. The first is that it has been used as a medicine thanks to its properties. Has been employed to treat some types of skin allergies.
On the other hand, this plant has diuretic properties. The bulb of the plant is used together with the oil that is extracted from it and an infusion is made to help in the retention of liquids.
As you can see, this Pyrenean phanerogam is a very special plant whose complex care makes it unique. However, it can be a great decoration option for our garden, although its unpleasant smell is sometimes not intoxicating
