Shirui Lily: A Rare Flower

Lilium mackliniae locally known as Shirui Kashung Timrawon, the state flower of Manipur is a rare and endangered species endemic to Manipur. It is recorded in the Red Data Book of Indian Plants volume I. The abode of the Lily, Shirui Kashung is located at 25° 13¢ N latitude and 94° 25¢ E longitude in Ukhrul District of Manipur at an elevation of 1730-2590m above sea level.

In 1946 Mr. Frank Kingdon Ward and his wife Jean Macklin came to Manipur Hills for botanical collection on behalf of the New-York Botanical Society and made a sensational discovery of the famous Shirui Lily, which bagged the prestigious merit prize of the 1948 Royal Horticultural Society Flower Show in London. The name of the Lily was named after the wife.

They are seasonal flowering plants and at their best in May and June when it blooms. The peak seasons of its bloom are May 15 to June 5. The height of the plant is between 1 to 3 ft. and 1 to 7 flowers per plant. In former years one could see even up to 12 flowers per plant. The flower is light pinkish in colour. Its beauty lies in its bell shape petals in bowing position like a modest girl.

Shirui Hill being a pristine forest provide habitat for many rare plants and animals like Lilium mackliniae, Cymbedium tigrinum, Coelogyne corymbosa and threatened birth species Blythii trapogon. However due to increasing human activities the rich ecosystem is facing a serious thread. The important factors are felling of trees, burning, over collection by the visitors. The traditional practices of indiscriminate hunting of games which result into thoughtless burning have threatened many species with extinction. There is every chance of exploiting the forest for jhum cultivation in the near future. Today when Biodiversity is of much concern there is an urgent need to conserve this rich ecosystem. The message of conservation of wildlife is yet to reach the people

AWARD

Shirui Lily flower got award and honour five decades back in London. In 1946 Mr. Frank Kingdon Ward who came to Manipur Hills for botanical collection on behalf of the New York Botanical Society had made a sensational discovery of the famous Shirui Lily which bagged the prestigious merit prize of the 1948 Royal Horticultural Society Flower Show in London. Lilium Mackliniae Sealy is the botanical name of Shirui Lily named after the maiden name of the wife of its discoverer Kingdon F. Ward.


SHIRUI LILY FLOWER

This is a single flowered, blooming in a plant of Shirui Lily. Usually it has 1-7 flowers per plant and even up to 12 flowers (of course it is very rare now). Due to the lack of proper maintenance and preservation, the numbers of flower blooming per plant is reducing day by day. Chances is there that one day it may not bloom at all.