There are a variety of native lily species in Japan, including Yama-yuri (mountain lily), Kanoko-yuri (dappled lily), and Teppou-yuri (Easter lily), which were imported to Europe as “rare plants” through Dutch trading posts since the Edo period (1603-1868).
In the Meiji period (1868-1912), Japanese botanists and gardeners actively exported bulbs, which became popular overseas as “Japanese Lily.” The pure-white "Easter Lily" in particular became very popular in the USA and Europe as the symbolic flower of Easter.
After World War II, the exports of bulbs and cut flowers of the lily began eagerly for the revival of the Japanese economy. New varieties of the lily based on the hybrids from the species native to Japan were created in the Netherlands and elsewhere in the world. It is said that Japan had a major impact on world horticulture as the “country of origin” of the lily.
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