viridulum was named 百合 (bai he, "hundred united") in Chinese, referring to the numerous scales of a bulb.

[3] Its Korean name is 당나리 (Tang lily), indicating it was introduced from China.

The famous 12th-century poet Lu You was especially fond of this lily and even grew some in front of his window.

[9] A landrace called "dragon-tooth lily" (龍牙百合 long ya bai he, depicting the appearance of the bulb scales) is especially renowned for its large-sized and good-quality bulb, and is one of the three most important lilies for culinary and medicinal uses in China.

[10] In Taiwan, both the flower and bulbs are used as food, as are the other related species: L. lancifolium, L. pumilum and L.