Age determination of the perennial herb Lilium polyphyllum (Liliaceae)

This study aims to determine the age of individual plants of the perennial herb Lilium polyphyllum in its natural habitats. Plant age was successfully estimated as the number of years a seed takes to produce the first stem plus the number of remnants of old shoots visible on the basal plates of the bulbs. Plant age as well as morphological features of shoots and bulbs were recorded at one temperate and one high altitude site. There were significant differences between the sites with respect to plant height, leaf number, bulb diameter and weight. The results show that individuals of similar age differ in morphology between temperate and high altitude sites. At both sites, all flowering plants of L. polyphyllum were 10–12 years old.