Species Lilium that originate in North America from A-M are found on this page.
Other Lilium sections and hybrids are linked below:
North American Lilium N-Z - Asiatic Section A-C - Asiatic Section D-K - Asiatic Section L-O - Asiatic Section P-Z - Candidum Section - Dauricum Section - Martagon Section - Oriental Section - Trumpet Section - Lilium Hybrids - Lilium index
Lilium bolanderi , Bolander's Lily is found in the Klamath ranges of California and into SW Oregon, elevation 150-1600m. Photos by Ron Parsons from wild populations in Humboldt County, CA.
Lilium canadense native to the east coast of Canada and parts of the New England States can reach well over 6 feet in height, with 20 flowers per stem on long pedicels, with lemon yellow pointed tepals with dark purple spots. The flowers become bell shaped as they mature. This lily likes to grow on the edge of woodlands where it can obtain a little shade. Photos 1-3 were taken by Ron Moodycliffe. Photos 4-5 were taken of plants in situ in Vermont by Ron Parsons.
Photos below submitted by Darm Crook
Lilium canadense var. coccineum (Pursh 1814) is a variety not recognized by all. Two views in photos 1 and 2 from Arnold Trachtenberg; reverse of tepals are alternate in appearance. Photos 3 to 9 submitted by Darm Crook.
Lilium canadense var. flavum (Pursh 1814) is another variety not recognized by Kew. This variety has yellow flowers spotted crimson to brown. 6 photos submitted by Darm Crook.
Lilium catesbaei from southeastern North America, requires conditions which would kill most lilies: wet, hot, acidic soil. It generally blooms late in the year and typically there is only one flower. Grown by bog plant guru John Hummer and photographed by Jim McKenney. Two forms are shown here. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the plant with spidery flowers originated in northern Florida. The one with broader tepals purportedly came from coastal North Carolina.
Variance of wild plants from adjacent Bay, Gulf, and Liberty Counties in the central panhandle of Florida. Photos by Alani Davis.
An ananthocyanic form found in the Florida panhandle. Photos by Alani Davis.
Lilium columbianum grows from Northern California north to Canada. Flowers are golden yellow to bright orange with dark purple spots or blotches and up to 30 flowers per stem. In this first photo by Ron Moodycliffe the flowers are golden yellow. The other photos, by Bob Rutemoeller, were growing in mass along the highway in Northern California and are more orange.
More photos of plants in the wild, found in Douglas County Oregon (left and middle) and along highway 101 Del Norte County, California (right) by Ron Parsons
This species grows into British Columbia (BC) Canada and continues north through the BC interior with its last known site in BC being around Ft. Saint John. It also grows north of the last known BC site in the Yukon Territories Canada on the Liard Plato. The florets are held on arching pedicels in a raceme inflorescence. In Hay River there are stems that have produced up to eighteen florets. The foliage it set in whorls; some of them can be partial whorls. The colour varies from orange to a light yellow. Nine photos of two colour forms submitted by Darm Crook.
Lilium grayi found at scattered sites in the mountains of western Virginia, North Carolina and Tennessee. Rarely seen in gardens in the eastern states and seems to grow more freely in cooler northern areas. Photo by Wayne Crist of a plant grown by Jim McKenney in his bog trays, with Sarracenia in the background.
Lilium humboldtii is a Sierra foothill lily, but also occurs in southern California in moist coastal canyons. It can grow to be quite tall, up to six to eight feet with flowers carried above the leaves. It has leaves arranged in whorls and flowers in a tiger pattern of reflexed yellow-orange petals dotted with brown or red spots. It is best grown in part shade with occasional summer water. First two photos by Mary Sue Ittner. Photos #3-5 by Ron Parsons, of plants in situ, various localities in Butte and El Dorado County, Oregon. Photo #6-9 (row 2) where taken by Nhu Nguyen. Photo #6 shows seedlings was sprouted by moist stratifying in the fridge for 5 weeks, then planted during early November in the Bay Area. They sprouted about a month after planting. Photos #7-9 was taken at the UC Botanical Garden.
Lilium humboldtii ssp. ocellatum, also known as the "Oscellated Humboldt LIly" is found San Diego County, Los Angeles County, Ventura County, Santa Barbara County, San Bernardino County, Santa Cruz Island, Santa Rosa Island, Riverside County, San Luis Obispo County, and Orange County California, often found growing along streamsides. This is a rare and endangered taxon with a limited distribution. The first photo below by Ron Parsons was taken in situ of plants in San Diego County California and the second was taken by Jim Duggan.
Lilium kelloggii from the redwood region of N California to SW Oregon, growing on dry slopes with wet winters and some summer moisture from fog. The flowers appear in June and have a soft, sweet fragrance. The pictured plant is growing in a raised bed in NW Oregon, covered from mid-November to mid-February. First photo by Jane McGary, the next two, by John Longanecker, are of a potted specimen grown from seed gathered in Kneeland, Humboldt Co CA. where it grows in a fog drip zone at 1700'. It was grown in Placerville, CA. El 2240' zone 7 banana belt. Photos four and five were taken by Mary Sue Ittner are of garden plants blooming from seed. Photos six and seven were taken by Ron Parsons of plants in situ in Humboldt County, California. Photos eight to fourteen by Darm Crook of several seedlings first flowering; photo eight shows a first day open floret, photo eleven lower left corner shows the same floret on day ten, the last photo shows a floret on day 13; the last day it had any tepals left.
Lilium kelleyanum from the southern Sierra Nevada Mountains, eastern side, 8-9500'. Photo on left by John Longanecker. Two photos on right by Ron Parsons, wild population Fresno County California, early July 2006.
Lilium maritimum is a rare lily with red tubular flowers and is found in California in the southern part of the North Coast ranges where it is found in scrub, fens, or gaps in the closed-cone forests, usually in low places where it stays wet longer. We have garden plants, but it is found in the wild near us and that is where the first two pictures were taken by Bob Rutemoeller. The next two by Mary Sue Ittner were taken of plants in the road verges. The fifth was taken by Ron Moodycliffe in a paddock near Ft. Bragg, California and the last by Ron Parsons Sonoma County, California. Germination is cool hypogeal, small bulbs are formed in winter and leaves appear in spring.
Lilium michauxii is native to Virginia, the Carolinas, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana and Florida in the United States. It likes dry, well-drained soils. It is commonly called the 'Carolina lily'. Photos taken in Tyler County, Texas by Justin Smith.
Lilium michiganense is found in Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, other eastern areas of the United States and Southern Ontario Canada. It prefers moist acidic soils. Photos 1-2 by John Lonsdale. Photos 3-6 in the first row and 1-3 in the second row from Darm Crook.
American Section N-Z - Asiatic Section A-C - Asiatic Section D-K - Asiatic Section L-O - Asiatic Section P-Z - Candidum Section - Dauricum Section - Martagon Section - Oriental Section - Trumpet Section - Lilium Hybrids - Lilium index