Well don't thank me too soon... my question is, how in the heck would you know if you did have a virus with this lily? I wouldn't know.

Funny you posted this, Evan. We moderators of the database were privately discussing the "Electrics" just this morning. The issue is: what comes first in the name-, the color or the word electric? This is the breakdown of the accepted, registered names:

Red Electric
Orange Electric
Electric Yellow
Electric

Edited to add Electric.

Not to add to the confusion but a person very knowledgeable about color told me I had Melon Electric. The color not the cv.

Well I guess he can call it melon if he wants to but I think there is a reason it was named Orange Electric. LOL!

I'm going to edit my electric post to show there is also a just plain 'Electric' lily. That may have been the first one with this pattern.

Someone gave me Orange Electric and it is blooming now for the first time. At first glance I thought virus, but on closer inspection I think not. Viruses seldom produce blotches without sharply defined edges. If the color fades out or fades into another color at the edges, then you can be fairly sure it is not a viral phenomenon.

Other variable cultivars that are not virused but exhibit changeable habit are Nymph and Tinos. You could probably add the the list....

I came over to see if chelle posted her pic pardalinum and so i want to see what yall say when she does. thanks for the invite.

Not yet mama. Waiting....

Here I am!

Just back from an afternoon swim with my young'un.

My leaves look perfect (to me, at least), but here you go...

Just so our members know, we are trying to decide if Chelle's lily has the color breaking virus and in particular we are looking at the break of the pink color in the tips of the petals.

Chelle received this bulb erroneously in a co-op so we were trying to figure out the identity of the cultivar when I noticed the color breaking.

Lefty, Lorn, mags, Moby... please weigh in with your opinions!

I just went out and checked these plants over after looking up info on this virus. If it is TBV, it's possibly just the one plant, so far. The others of the same variety don't show the pink streaking.

Plant A


Plant B


In my ignorance, I just thought that plant B was the first that bloomed and those blooms were just more advanced than the others. Plant B is in the shadiest spot; parked behind the others, and this area gets just a bit of morning sun, and about 4 hours worth of afternoon sun.

All of the rest of the plants of this variety look just like Plant A, and all of the plants, including B, have leaves that look perfect. As least as much as any in my presently dried out gardens.

I'm agitated now. I'm ready to rip this plant out right this minute!

Do you want pix of the bulb, stem and leaves before I trash it?

I'll wait a bit for a word of advice, but I want to do it soon...just in case.

I think everyone but me works day jobs. Put a bag over it .

I believe it's virused. Had this flower been exposed to hot bright sun for 8 to 10 hours/day; I might not be so quick, but brief morning sun and in the back? Its better to be 'safe than sorry'. One plant can be replaced by bublets from the others pretty quick--hold this one till next year and they may all be this way. Nope--plant goes!!

Thank you!!

Five minutes after dinner is over it'll be gone!




Thanks for bringing it to my attention, Connie! I'd have never thought about it (since the leaves look okay), and it may have eventually taken all of my very few lilies.

Yeah, you're making the right move chelle. And have no regrets about it. You have to do it sometimes. Since this virus is confined within the affectd bulb, it will be safe to replant another in the same spot in short order (couple days).

Anything that splotchy I would discard. If you have one that you think looks OK, segregated it well away from other lilies and evaluate it for a couple years. .

Thanks, folks.

LOL! I didn't even wait until I'd had dinner - I just made for everyone else and dug this up!

All I was having was a big salad anyway, so I figured it could wait.


Here's the bulb and roots.


...and the rest of the plant.



No regrets.

00000000H- i KNOW ITS PAINFUL BUT UNFORTUNATELY, HAS TO BE DONE..sorry for your loss

Coming in to this discussion late, but I agree to dump it. It seems there are a few every year I have to toss. I used to be bothered by it, now, so long as it is replaceable, it isn't such a big deal. It's the pain of loving lilies.

Those pics you show Chelle, are classic viral symptoms.
(except Plant A, of course)
Which virus it is (was) we would never know, nor does it matter.

Thanks for taking such good diagnostic photos. Symptoms are most commonly found in the flowers, and more occasionally on the foliage. Somewhere in the back of my mind I remember reading a comment (perhaps in a the NALS yearbook?) that virused lily plants tend to have small bulbs. That seems to hold up for yours.

Thanks again, everyone.

I'm relieved that the plant is gone, and glad that I learned something very important to watch for when growing lilies.