OregonFlora: Lilium columbianum vs. Lilium canadense

	Lilium columbianum	Lilium canadense
	Columbia lily, Oregon lily, tiger lily
Habit	Plants to 1.7m, glaucous or not; bulbs erect to ascending, oblique or roughly ovoid; longest scales 3–7.3 cm, (1)2–3(5)-segmented.
Leaves	in 1–9 whorls, generally ascending, weakly oblanceolate to obovate, 1.5–16 cm; margin generally wavy.
Inflorescences	flowers 1–25(45), pendent to nodding.
Flowers	widely bell-shaped, not fragrant; perianth segments 3.4–6.1(7.1)cm, orange (sometimes reddish outside); distal 50–60% portion reflexed; stamens longer than perianth; filaments spreading; anthers 5–13 mm; yellowish to very pale magenta; pollen orange or yellow; pistil 2.4–3.7 cm.
Fruits	2–5.4 cm.
2n	=24.

	Lilium columbianum	Lilium canadense
Distribution	[WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]	[WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]
Discussion	Dry scrub, coastal prairie, gaps and roadsides in conifer forest especially along coast. Flowering May–Aug. 0–2000m. Casc, CR, ECas, Est, Sisk, WV. CA, ID, WA; north to British Columbia. Native. This widespread lily is rather variable. Oregon plants tend to have exserted stamens and the “Turk’s-cap” flower form associated with large butterfly pollination. Patches of flowering plants can be thick with western tiger swallowtails and pale swallowtails. Lilium columbianum hybridizes with L. pardalinum ssp. wigginsii and vollmeri, and extensively with L. occidentale in southern coastal Oregon. Lilium columbianum may intergrade with L. kelloggii along Highway 199 at the border between California and Oregon; these plants are slightly fragrant and the bulb scales unsegmented, all characteristics of Kellogg’s lily. Native Americans used Lilium columbianum bulbs as a food or peppery condiment. For many, it was a staple food (Pojar and MacKinnon 1994).
Source	Flora of Oregon, volume 1, page 304 Mark Skinner
Sibling taxa	L. bolanderi, L. columbianum x Lilium pardalinum, L. kelloggii, L. occidentale, L. pardalinum, L. washingtonianum	L. bolanderi, L. columbianum, L. columbianum x Lilium pardalinum, L. kelloggii, L. occidentale, L. pardalinum, L. washingtonianum
Web links	Local floras: BC, CA, OR, WA Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos, Flora NW, PNW Herbaria, Turner Photog. WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search	Local Web sites: Flora NW, PNW Herbaria WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search

Lilium canadense

Columbia lily, Oregon lily, tiger lily

Habit

Plants to 1.7m, glaucous or not; bulbs erect to ascending, oblique or roughly ovoid; longest scales 3–7.3 cm, (1)2–3(5)-segmented.

Leaves

in 1–9 whorls, generally ascending, weakly oblanceolate to obovate, 1.5–16 cm;

margin generally wavy.

Inflorescences

flowers 1–25(45), pendent to nodding.

Flowers

widely bell-shaped, not fragrant;

perianth segments 3.4–6.1(7.1)cm, orange (sometimes reddish outside);

distal 50–60% portion reflexed;

stamens longer than perianth;

filaments spreading;

anthers 5–13 mm; yellowish to very pale magenta;

pollen orange or yellow;

pistil 2.4–3.7 cm.

Fruits

2–5.4 cm.

=24.

Lilium canadense

Distribution

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

Discussion

Dry scrub, coastal prairie, gaps and roadsides in conifer forest especially along coast. Flowering May–Aug. 0–2000m. Casc, CR, ECas, Est, Sisk, WV. CA, ID, WA; north to British Columbia. Native.

This widespread lily is rather variable. Oregon plants tend to have exserted stamens and the “Turk’s-cap” flower form associated with large butterfly pollination. Patches of flowering plants can be thick with western tiger swallowtails and pale swallowtails. Lilium columbianum hybridizes with L. pardalinum ssp. wigginsii and vollmeri, and extensively with L. occidentale in southern coastal Oregon. Lilium columbianum may intergrade with L. kelloggii along Highway 199 at the border between California and Oregon; these plants are slightly fragrant and the bulb scales unsegmented, all characteristics of Kellogg’s lily. Native Americans used Lilium columbianum bulbs as a food or peppery condiment. For many, it was a staple food (Pojar and MacKinnon 1994).