Part of a time lapse collection of lilies opening, blooming and or decaying over a few seconds. Lilium (members of which are true lilies) is a genus of herbaceous flowering plants growing from bulbs, all with large prominent flowers. Lilies are an important group of flowering plants and are important in culture and literature in much of the world. Most species are native to the temperate northern hemisphere, though their range and extends into northern subtropics. Many other plants have "lily" in their common name but are not related to true lilies.