百子莲

[ noun ]
African plant with bright green evergreen leaves and umbels of many usually deep violet-blue flowers
<noun.plant>

Lily \Lil"y\ (l[i^]l"[y^]), n.; pl. {Lilies} (l[i^]l"[i^]z).
[AS. lilie, L. lilium, Gr. lei`rion. Cf. {Flower-de-luce}.]
1. (Bot.) A plant and flower of the genus {Lilium},
endogenous bulbous plants, having a regular perianth of
six colored pieces, six stamens, and a superior
three-celled ovary.

Note: There are nearly fifty species, all found in the North
Temperate zone. {Lilium candidum} and {Lilium
longiflorum} are the common white lilies of gardens;
{Lilium Philadelphicum} is the wild red lily of the
Atlantic States. {Lilium Chalcedonicum} is supposed to
be the ``lily of the field'' in our Lord's parable;
{Lilium auratum} is the great gold-banded lily of
Japan.

2. (Bot.) A name given to handsome flowering plants of
several genera, having some resemblance in color or form
to a true lily, as {Pancratium}, {Crinum}, {Amaryllis},
{Nerine}, etc.

3. That end of a compass needle which should point to the
north; -- so called as often ornamented with the figure of
a lily or fleur-de-lis.

But sailing further, it veers its lily to the west.
--Sir T.
Browne.

4. (Auction Bridge) A royal spade; -- usually in pl. See
{Royal spade}, below.
[Webster 1913 Suppl.]

{African lily} (Bot.), the blue-flowered {Agapanthus
umbellatus}.

{Atamasco lily} (Bot.), a plant of the genus {Zephyranthes}
({Zephyranthes Atamasco}), having a white and pink
funnelform perianth, with six petal-like divisions
resembling those of a lily. --Gray.

{Blackberry lily} (Bot.), the {Pardanthus Chinensis}, the
black seeds of which form a dense mass like a blackberry.


{Bourbon lily} (Bot.), {Lilium candidum}. See Illust.

{Butterfly lily}. (Bot.) Same as {Mariposa lily}, in the
Vocabulary.

{Lily beetle} (Zool.), a European beetle ({Crioceris
merdigera}) which feeds upon the white lily.

{Lily daffodil} (Bot.), a plant of the genus {Narcissus}, and
its flower.

{Lily encrinite} (Paleon.), a fossil encrinite, esp.
{Encrinus liliiformis}. See {Encrinite}.

{Lily hyacinth} (Bot.), a plant of the genus {Hyacinthus}.

{Lily iron}, a kind of harpoon with a detachable head of
peculiar shape, used in capturing swordfish.

{Lily of the valley} (Bot.), a low perennial herb
({Convallaria majalis}), having a raceme of nodding,
fragrant, white flowers.

{Lily pad}, the large floating leaf of the water lily. [U.
S.] --Lowell.

{Tiger lily} (Bot.), {Lilium tigrinum}, the sepals of which
are blotched with black.

{Turk's-cap lily} (Bot.) {Lilium Martagon}, a red lily with
recurved sepals; also, the similar American lily, {Lilium
superbum}.

{Water lily} (Bot.), the {Nymph[ae]a}, a plant with floating
roundish leaves, and large flowers having many petals,
usually white, but sometimes pink, red, blue, or yellow.
[See Illust. of {Nymph[ae]a}.]