Just noticed I have some lilium formosanum coming up with some striped foliage. These are 2-3 year old grown from seed. I am just wondering if this is a result of an virus infection and need to be destroyed or not?

Unfortunately, yes, yours is quite unmistakable. L. formosanum is very susceptible to viruses, and if you have vectors present to spread them (like aphids), it is probable that you have a lily or lilies that is tolerant of virus that "gave" it to your formosanum. Lilies tolerant to viruses don't show symptoms. So your formosanum is the "canary in the coal mine".

It's not the end of the world since lots of lilies are virus tolerant. That is, unless you need to grow L. formosanum. New formosanum plants, even from seed again, will become infected and be symptomatic until you find the innoculum source. Most lily breeders try to breed in virus tolerance in their introductions to make them more resilient.

But you will want to destroy them, and disinfect anything that has come into contact with them. Just like a cold virus, a lily virus can be manually spread, too.

Thanks, I will pull them up and put them in the trash tomorrow.

It is odd though, the only other lilies I have are grown from seed and Lilium michiganense from a reputable source. Though now that I think about it the Lilium michiganense may have shown some symptoms. I suppose I'll have to keep an eye on the other lilies too.

Other lilies are the most common source, but maybe from nearby neighbors, or infected tulips or other plants, Just like cold viruses, they almost can be any where.

Yes, unfortunately the viruses that infect Liliums can also infect a number of other plants as well (Tulips being a key culprit) and so it may have come from a different plant you have or, as Rick says, nearby neighbours and it has been transferred by pests such as aphids.

Guessing lily virus

Yea, looks like virus.

Thanks Luka, that's what I was afraid of, out it goes.

At this point, I'd say virus, too. But if the brown/maroon areas increases in size on leaves that are not growing (not increasing in size), then I would say fungi or bacteria.

crawgarden said: Guessing lily virus

I have some that look a bit like that, but they did come up too early this spring-got warm too fast, and then a late freeze and the tops got kind of mushy after being frozen. I assume they look odd now due to that and several of them do not have buds/blooms since they got froze off.