About Lilium formosanum｜有關台灣百合

Lilium formosanum  has been a symbol in Taiwanese culture for a long time. We want to use the opportunity to share the story of Lilium formosanum.

Image and information courtesy of Ming-Yung Luoh, Lilium Formosanum Studio

Lilium formosanum is native to Taiwan and grows from lowlands to high mountains. This fast-growing perennial has white or pale yellow bulbs, slender upright stems, narrow leaves, and trumpet-shaped flowers with reddish stripes. Its blooming shows a unique “2π movement.”
 

It flowers from May to September, depending on the region and elevation. A single plant can range from under 20 cm to over 2 meters tall, with one to over 100 flowers. Overharvesting has reduced wild blooms. It grows in dry areas, rocky slopes, crevices, coastlines, and even roadsides.
 

Symbolizing strength, purity, and nobility, it appears in Taiwanese art, music, and stories, and is known by many names—such as mountain lily, trumpet flower, Bahuhu, and Kavalan—showing its cultural roots.

 

After a century of spreading, Lilium formosanum has naturalized in places like Japan and South Korea, and even reached the Southern Hemisphere, including South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. It can truly be considered a flower that represents Taiwan. Often attracting people to pick it, along with land development and mowing, the sight of it blooming wildly in nature has significantly diminished.

台灣百合（Lilium formosanum）長久以來一直是台灣文化中的象徵。我們希望藉此機會分享台灣百合的故事。

圖文提供: 駱明永, 台灣百合工作室

台灣百合（Lilium formosanum）是台灣特有種，從平地到高山皆可見。多年生草本，鱗莖為白或淡黃，冬播夏開，生長快速。莖細長直立，葉細長，花呈喇叭狀，花被有紅色條紋。開花過程展現特殊「2π運動」的變化角度。
 

花期在五月至九月，依地區及海拔高度而異。單株花數與高度變化大，從一朵到百朵，從不到二十公分到超過兩公尺都常見。花大色美，常吸引人採摘，導致野外盛開景象漸少。具強韌生命力，能在乾旱、高山碎石坡、石縫、海邊甚至柏油路邊綻放。
 

因象徵堅毅、純潔與高貴，深受喜愛，成為音樂、繪畫、戲劇與故事題材，也常代表台灣精神。俗稱繁多，如山棧花、鼓吹花、打碗花、Bahuhu、Kavalan等，反映其與各族群文化的連結。
 

歷經百年傳播，已在日本、韓國等地歸化，甚至傳至南半球的南非、澳洲與紐西蘭，堪稱是真正代表台灣的花，常吸引人採摘，加上土地開發和割草，導致野外盛開景象減少很多。