Siroi lily growing in its native habitat, the Shirui Hill, Ukhrul, Manipur.

Shirui Lily or Siroi lily, Lilium mackliniae, is found in the upper reaches of the Siroi hill ranges in the Ukhrul District of Manipur, India, at an elevation of 1730m–2590m above sea level.
This shade-loving lily has pale bluish-pink petals. In the wild it flowers in the monsoon months of June and July. They are seasonal flowering plants and at their best in May and June when it blooms.[citation needed] The peak season of its bloom is May 15 to June 5. The height of the plant is 1–3 ft. and has 1-7 flowers per plant.
The lily gets its name from Macklin, the family name of Jean, the second wife of plant-hunter Frank Kingdon-Ward; it was discovered in 1946. The lily won the Merit prize of the 1948 Royal Horticultural Society at a Flower Show in London (but no longer holds an Award of Garden Merit).

Ukhrul  Oct 15: Giving a boost to development of Shirui Peak , the abode of the world-famed Siroy Lily, the State flower of Manipur, as a tourist spot, a water reservoir has been constructed in the middle of the majestic Peak recently.
Meant mainly for the visitors,  the water supply scheme/water reservoir  has been constructed under Border Area Development Programme (BADP) of 2009- 2010 at an estimated cost of Rs 6 lakhs with Mungleng Vathei Hill Development Society (MVHDS) as the implementing agency.
One of the planning executive of MVHDS said that construction of the water reservoir has been necessitated keeping in mind the growing number of tourists who visit Shirui Peak specially during the blooming season  of Siroy Lily.
The site of the water shed construction has been taken up in the middle of the majestic peak called ‘SARUM-KATING’, which is situated at a distance of one and a half hour walk from the main-road, the National Highway 150, which passes through the starting point of the peak.
The inauguration programme was graced by Director of Planning Department, Government of Manipur KMangi Singh as the chief guest and EE, DRDA L Nara Singh as guest of honour and headman of Shirui village as functional president respectively.
During the function, members of  Shirui Youth Club presented an impressively choreographed indigenous dance performance based on the modest Shirui Lily. Artists of CMPO, a renowned band of the village entertained the crowd with their enthralling music.
The inauguration programme was attended by many people from all walks of life including pastors and village elders from the adjoining areas.
Taking the opportunity of the august gathering, MHVDS drew the attention of the attending dignitaries for construction of a rest camp near the water reservoir for the recreation of the visiting tourists.
MVHDS has been doing everything possible  to protect the surrounding environment of Shirui Peak, which is known in the local parlance as  Kashong.
Shirui is the abode of the majestic Siroy Lily flower. Known world-wide for its rare and modest beauty, British phytologist Kingdom F Ward first discovered the flower in 1946 and and introduced it to the world through an exhibition at the Botanical Garden, London in 1950.
Using all the available resources at its disposal for the better growth of this magnificent flower, the Society has put up fencing around the main park and restriction imposed on burning the mountain sides which is one of the main factors  for degrading the natural environs of Siroy Lily and hampering its full growth.


Source: The Sangai Express