Lilium longiflorum, often called the Easter lily, is a species of plant endemic to both Taiwan and Ryukyu Islands (Japan).

Lilium formosanum, a closely related species from Taiwan, has been treated as a variety of Easter lily in the past.

A disease then started affecting the lilies: a virus was identified by Lawrence Ogilvie, the Bermuda Government's first plant pathologist, serving from 1923 to 1928.

In 1924 Lawrence Ogilvie saved the industry by identifying the problem to be not aphid damage as previously thought, and instituting controls in the fields and packing houses.

In 1929, USDA's Agricultural Research Services started a breeding program, and released one of the first dwarf cultivars for potted-plant production.

The supply of bulbs was suddenly cut off after the attack on Pearl Harbor and Easter lilies became extremely valuable in the United States.

Veterinary help should be sought, as a matter of urgency, for any cat that is suspected of eating any part of the lily – including licking pollen that may have brushed onto its coat.