Q. Shirui (Siroy) Lily is the only terrestrial Lily found in which of the following states of India?
(A) Assam
(B) West Bengal
(C) Manipur
(D) Tripura
Answer: C
Shirui lily (Lilium macklineae Sealy, local name Kashong Timrawon, belongs to family Liliaceae) is one of the rare species of terrestrial lily grown naturally only on the top of Shirui Kashong peak, the Siroi National Park (November 1982), near Shirui village of Ukhrul district of Manipur state.
Manipur, which literally means “A jewelled land”, is a State nestled deep within a lush green corner of North East India. Mrs. St. Clair Grimwood once described Manipur as “A pretty place more beautiful than many show places of the world” and Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru once termed Manipur as “Jewel of India”.Manipur is an oval shaped valley at the centre surrounded by hills, rich in art and tradition with nature’s beauty landscapes. The Manipur River flows across the valley and joins in Chindwin River on its head. Rajashree Bhagyachandra made the famous classical dance of Manipur, Ras Lila out of his enchanting dream by the grace of Lord Krishna.
Siroy Lily:- In 1946, Dr. Frank Ward, a botanist and his wife Jean Macklin, a daughter of a Bombay High Court Judge came to Manipur hills to collect botanical specimens on behalf of the New York Botanical Society. They set up base at Ukhrul in a building which they called “Cobweb Cottage or Bug Bungalow” and discovered Siroy Lily. The lily gets its name from Macklin, the second wife of plant-hunter Frank Kingdon-Ward.
The scientific classification of the Lily is:
Kingdom – Plantae,
Phylum – Angiospers,
Class – Monocots,
Order – Liliales,
Family – Liliaceae,
Genus – Lilium and
Species – Lilium Mackliniae