Molecular cloning of cryptochrome 1 from Lilium×formolongi and the characterization of its photoperiodic flowering function in Arabidopsis

•LfCRY1 is induced by blue light.•LfCRY1 exhibits its highest expression and diurnal expression patterns during the flowering-induction stage under different photoperiods.•Overexpression of LfCRY1 in Arabidopsis promoted flowering under LDs but not SDs.•LfCRY1 interacted with the important flowering activator LfCOL9 in both yeast and onion cells.