Paradisea liliastrum

This species, common throughout the Alps and northern Apennines, is easily recognised thanks to its large unilateral white flowers on a leafless stem that is 30-60 cm tall. The leaves, all basal, are linear, grooved and slightly glaucous. Its genus name was dedicated to Count Giovanni Paradisi (1760-1826), a poet, academic and mathematician who was President of the Senate in the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy. Its specific name indicates its similarity to the flowers of the lily. It is the symbol of the botanical garden, to which it lends its name, as it is so common in the surrounding pastures.