Fire lily

The orange-coloured fire lily (Lilium bulbiferum) is the most widely found species of wild lily in Europe. It is an exception among the many highly perfumed species of lily in that it does not give off any scent. It is pollinated by butterflies who settle on the petals as they go about their work. There is a nectar tube at the base of each petal, into which the butterfly inserts its proboscis in order to reach the nectar.

The fire lily is the object of some fascinating legends. In Switzerland, for example, people believed that the flower attracted lightening if kept indoors. The bulbs, however, were associated with positive attributes. People took handfuls of the tiny bulbils growing in the leaf axils to stuff underneath brooding hens to ensure that the eggs would hatch successfully. And if carried by a man or woman, the bulbils were said to attract the opposite sex. Finally, the fire lily bulbs were a good substitute for coffee. As for the petals, they were used to produce an orange-red pigment for painting as well as a beauty elixir reputed to prevent freckles.

No wonder the fire lily was also known by many other names. It was also commonly referred to as the thunder flower, tiger lily, fire flower or – in the Puschlav region of the Graubunden - Flur da San Giuan (Saint John's flower). The last of those names comes from the fact that fire lilies were thrown into Midsummer night bonfires on 24th June (St. John's Day) to ward off bad weather.