 | 'Madame Butterfly' - L. henryi Hybrid LilyClassification: Intercrossed species lily bulb (USDA Zones 5-9, the colder climates of this range must provide winter mulching.) Stock # 8020 - 'Madame Butterfly' - L. henryi Hybrid Lily How about a Lilium henryi Hybrid that has the same delicate shape of L. henryi, with massive raised papillae, but with white-colored petal tips? Looking like dancing butterflies on the stem, this sturdy lily has great potential in hybridizing, plus adds animation to the garden on windy days. Released by its breeder, Johan Mak, exclusively to B&D Lilies for our 25th Anniversary Catalog and is proving to be a long-lived cultivar. 2 to 3 Feet. July. How is a lily named? For us, most lilies come by their names from something personal in our life. So where did ‘Madame Butterfly’ come from? Bred by our friend Johan Mak, and grown by his son, we watched this lily for years being slowly built up. We all agreed that with the butterfly like flowers that danced in the wind, this yet to be named lily should carry the name of a butterfly. The problem encountered was that the “common” names of regional butterflies did not match the grace and beauty of this lily, and the Latin names were beyond pronunciation. We were coming down to the wire. This yet to be named lily was ready for introduction, but still no name that would do this lovely little L. henryi flower justice. While driving to the Mak field in Oregon, I was listening to ‘Un bel di vedermo’ the famous aria from the Puccini Opera ‘Madame Butterfly’. Our daughter, a very gifted classical vocalist was looking at it (still at the time well ahead of her in years) and I wanted to become more familiar with the piece. All of a sudden there was one of those “duh” moments, why not ‘Madame Butterfly’ I thought. Excited, I was bursting with a name, while driving the last couple hours, eager to talk with Johan. Upon pulling up in his driveway, he met me with a big smile on his face proclaiming “I have it! 'Madame Butterfly'”. I stood there in disbelief and we quickly concluded that all great minds think alike. I suggested since we were going with ‘Madame Butterfly’ for this lily, why not ‘Suzuki’, who was the servant of Butterfly. It was fitting as the role of ‘Suzuki’ is that of a mezzo-soprano and this was a “deeper voiced” lily. That day, we had a twofer, ‘Madame Butterfly’ and ‘Suzuki’. For those familiar with the opera, there are no plans for a Lt. Pinkerton at this time. Bulb Size - Our standard for bulbs of this lily cultivar ranges from Premium-size» (16/18 cm) to Exhibition-size» (over 20 cm). Click here for details. Save $4.00 on purchase of 6 Bulbs. You May Also Be Interested In | 
Wild Lilies Wild Lily bulbs making up the genus Lilium belong to the family Liliaceae comprising of approximately 200 genera made up of approximately 2,000 lily species. There are in the neighborhood of 110 to 120 Lilium species depending on whose classification you reference. For the full article, click Knowledge Base |
