Abstract:In order to clarify the formation of different types of bicolor lily cultivars, we used three bicolor Asiatic hybrid lilies as the materials to analyze flower color phenotype, pigment composition and content in the upper and basal tepals. The results showed that: (1) a single anthocyanin cyanidin 3Oβrutinoside was detected in the basal tepals, and the concentration of ‘Black Eye’ was the highest, while no anthocyanins were found in the upper tepals. (2) A total of 15 carotenoids were identified in the tepals of all samples, and the content of carotenoid differed significantly between the upper and basal tepals in different cultivars. The characteristic components in the tepals ‘Pieton’ were antheraxanthin, violaxanthin and βcarotene, and the characteristic components in the tepals of ‘Twosome’ was capsanthin, while no characteristic carotenoid composition were detected in the ‘Black Eye’. (3) Principal component analysis found that the carotenoid composition and content were obviously different in three lily cultivars. However, the composition in the upper and basal tepals of the same cultivar was similar and the contents were significantly different. (4) Regression analysis found that cyanidin3Oβrutinoside, capsanthin, phytoene, zeaxanthin and βcarotene were the main pigments that may affect lily flower color. The research results indicated that the accumulation of anthocyanin and carotenoids in different regions of the tepals was the major reason for the formation of bicolor lilies.