Description

Lilium bakerianum Collett & Hemsley 1890

Taxonomy:
Kew Gardens accept following infraspecific species
Lilium bakerianum var. aureum A.Grove & Cotton
Lilium bakerianum var. bakerianum
Lilium bakerianum var. delavayi (Franch.) E.H.Wilson
Lilium bakerianum var. rubrum Stearn
Lilium bakerianum var. yunnanense (Franch.) Sealy ex Woodcock & Stearn

Similar to the Lilium primulinum-complex Lilium bakerianum is a taxonomic mess still.

Origin:
China (Guizhou, Sichuan, Yunnan), Nepal, Myanmar; in grassy Pinus forests, 1.500-3.800 m

Lilium-tc comment:
As we couldn´t be sure of the species´ identity we decided to plant the bulbs we received. Bulbs are grown for us in Germany by Christoph Raser.

Propagation:
bulbs Lilium bakerianum var. bakerianum # 1 PW ´01.20 (Lbakbak1)
planted –> flowered and turned out to be Lilium bakerianum var. yunnanense

Some bulbs we received in early 2020 turned out to be Lilium bakerianum var. yunnanense. Others show a different habitus which offers some hope we might hold of the type species.
Among the flowering plants of 2020 we received a pure white clone of Lilium bakerianum var. yunnanense which we are going to tissue-culture later in 2020.

It´s likely we have Lilium bakerianum var. bakerianum in growing & stock at Erwin Wenger´s place in Vienna where at least one bulb we received from another source in China is kept for us. Still heading to get it into flower neyxt year. If so it will could be ident with the unidentified species “pink/white” introduced by Yijia Wang in 2019.

in courtesy of Yijia Wang

bulbs Lilium bakerianum var. bakerianum # 2 SZ ´02.20 (Lbakbak2)
planted

So we will keep off from any tc-ambitions by all means as far we cannot be convinced of any clear identity.

product-imagine in courtesy of IR