The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

lemon lily, Parry lily

alpine lily, Sierra tiger lily

Bulbs

rhizomatous, unbranched, continuously scaly, 1.5–4.7 × 3.5–11 cm, 0.2–0.6 times taller than long;

scales (1–)2(–4)-segmented, longest 0.9–3.7 cm;

stem roots absent.

rhizomatous, unbranched, continuously scaly, 1.4–3.5 × 3.3–9.2 cm, 0.3–0.5 times taller than long;

scales (1–)2–3(–4)-segmented, longest 1.1–3.4 cm;

stem roots absent.

Stems

to 1.9 m. Buds rounded in cross section.

to 1.7 m. Buds rounded in cross section.

Leaves

occasionally scattered in young plants or in 1–5 whorls or partial whorls, 3–18 leaves per whorl, ± horizontal and drooping at tips or ascending, 7.8–29 × 0.5–4.9 cm, 2.6–29 times longer than wide;

blade elliptic to narrowly linear, or ± obovate, often lanceolate in distal leaves, margins not undulate, apex acute, often narrowly so;

veins and margins ± smooth abaxially.

in 2–5 whorls or partial whorls, 3–13 leaves per whorl, ± horizontal and drooping at tips or ascending in sun, 4–15.1 × 0.5–4.4 cm, 2.3–10.8 times longer than wide;

blade ± elliptic, margins not undulate, apex acute, often narrowly so;

veins and margins ± smooth abaxially.

Inflorescences

racemose, 1–31-flowered.

racemose, 1–26(–41)-flowered.

Flowers

opening before dusk, horizontal or somewhat nodding, slightly bilaterally symmetric, strongly fragrant;

perianth funnelform;

sepals and petals recurved 3/5 along length from base, lower less recurved than upper and forming landing platform, bright yellow with sparse, usually minute maroon spots, not distinctly clawed;

sepals not ridged abaxially, oblanceolate, 7.7–10.7 × 1.1–1.7 cm;

petals noticeably wider than sepals, often very wide distally, 7.8–10.6 × 1.1–2.1 cm, apex widely acute or sometimes obtuse;

stamens barely exserted;

filaments barely spreading, diverging at 5°–12°;

anthers pale magenta-brown, 0.8–1.4 cm;

pollen rust-orange or orange-brown;

pistil 5.3–9.3 cm;

ovary 1.6–2.9 cm;

style green, often pale;

pedicel 2–17.5 cm.

± horizontal to ascending, sometimes slightly bilaterally symmetric, not fragrant;

perianth ± funnelform;

sepals and petals somewhat recurved 3/5–2/3 along length from base, not strongly reflexed, lower often less recurved than upper and forming landing platform, orange or yellowish proximally, darker (light orange, orange, red-orange, red, or rarely ± pinkish) on distal 2/5, occasionally uniformly light orange or rarely yellow, spotted dark purple-brown or maroon, often pale abaxially, not distinctly clawed;

sepals not ridged abaxially, noticeably wider than petals, 3.2–4.2 × 0.8–1.3 cm;

petals 3.2–4.2 × 0.6–1.2 cm;

stamens moderately exserted;

filaments moderately spreading, diverging 8°–17° from axis;

anthers pale yellow, orangish, or magenta, 0.3–0.8 cm;

pollen yellowish to red-orange;

pistil 2.3–3.7 cm;

ovary 0.8–1.4 cm;

style pale green;

pedicel 3.5–15.5 cm.

Capsules

3.9–5.9 × 1.1–1.7 cm, 2.5–4.4 times longer than wide.

1.6–2.7 × 1.2–1.8 cm, 1.2–1.9 times longer than wide.

Seeds

141–303.

90–132.

2n

= 24.

= 24.

Lilium parryi

Lilium parvum

Phenology Flowering summer (late May–early Sep). Flowering summer (mid Jun–Aug).
Habitat Meadows, streams, and willow (Salix spp.) thickets in mixed conifer forests Wet meadows, willow (Salix spp.) thickets, and streams in coniferous forests
Elevation 1300–2600 m (4300–8500 ft) 1400–2900 m (4600–9500 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; NV
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Plants in Arizona start to bloom in May (T. H. Kearney and R. H. Peebles 1960), while the majority of California plants flower in July and August.

Plants from the San Gabriel Mountains of California sometimes have wider leaves and have been given status as Lilium parryi var. kessleri, but this variation is due primarily to the rather shaded habitat of many of these populations. No significant vegetative discontinuity can be recognized across the range of this species, so no varieties are recognized here.

Lilium parryi probably arose from an ancestor in common with L. pardalinum (M. W. Skinner 1988), and subsequently diverged to become pollinated by various hawkmoths (family Sphingidae). The flowers are remarkably similar in form and function to those of L. washingtonianum, which is also moth-pollinated, but this resemblance is due to evolutionary convergence.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

At the lower elevations within its range, Lilium parvum tends to have clear yellow-orange flowers—a form that has been recognized as L. parvum var. crocatum—but perianth parts are redder apically at higher elevations in the Sierra Nevada. The pink-flowered form that is apparently localized at lower elevations in El Dorado County, California, is referred to informally as the ditch lily (O. H. Ballantyne 1983).

Lilium parvum hybridizes sporadically with L. pardalinum subsp. pardalinum at middle elevations (ca. 1200–1500 m) in the Sierra Nevada, resulting in variable swarms of plants with flowers that are intermediate in orientation, size, and perianth recurvature. Hybrids with Lilium kelleyanum are discussed under that species.

Lilium parvum is a pollination generalist visited by several species of hummingbirds (family Trochilidae), western tiger swallowtails (Papilio rutulus Lucas, family Papilionidae), pale swallowtails (P. eurymedon Lucas), and various bees (mostly family Apidae).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 26, p. 191. FNA vol. 26, p. 188.
Parent taxa Liliaceae > Lilium Liliaceae > Lilium
Sibling taxa
L. bolanderi, L. canadense, L. catesbaei, L. columbianum, L. grayi, L. humboldtii, L. iridollae, L. kelleyanum, L. kelloggii, L. lancifolium, L. maritimum, L. michauxii, L. michiganense, L. occidentale, L. pardalinum, L. parvum, L. philadelphicum, L. pyrophilum, L. rubescens, L. superbum, L. washingtonianum
L. bolanderi, L. canadense, L. catesbaei, L. columbianum, L. grayi, L. humboldtii, L. iridollae, L. kelleyanum, L. kelloggii, L. lancifolium, L. maritimum, L. michauxii, L. michiganense, L. occidentale, L. pardalinum, L. parryi, L. philadelphicum, L. pyrophilum, L. rubescens, L. superbum, L. washingtonianum
Synonyms L. parryi var. kessleri L. canadense var. parvum, L. parvum var. crocatum
Name authority S. Watson: Proc. Davenport Acad. Nat. Sci. 2: 188. (1878) Kellogg: Hesperian (San Francisco) 8: 163. (1862)
Web links