The underground bulb is made up of modified leaves called scale leaves, and has the function of storing nutrients. The many scale leaves clasped tightly together are generally thought to be the origin of the lily's Chinese name baihe (" hundred-union ").
百合的球根其實是葉片變形成的地下鱗莖，具有儲存養分功能，像洋蔥般的鱗片一層層相疊，如百片合成，一般認為這是百合名稱的由來。