The family
Liliaceae includes a nearly infinite number of plants, since lilies are easy to propagate and hybridize. There is a huge number of lilies on the market with new hybrids coming out every year, says McLean. It is enormously confusing. To organize the flowers and make it easier for home gardeners and horticulturists to keep track of them lilies fall into nine different divisions: Eight divisions of hybrids Asiatic; Martagon, also known as Turk s Cap; Candidum, American, Longiflorum, commonly known as Easter Lily; Trumpet and Aurelian; Oriental, also called Stargazers; and Interdivisional and one of naturally occurring species. The divisions are meant to identify and group together traits that would be significant to the gardener, says McLean: Flower color, form (trumpet, bowl, flat or recurved), orientation (upward facing, outward facing or downward facing), fragrance, size, hardiness, [and] bloom time.