Lemon Lily, Lilium parryi

About Lemon Lily (Lilium parryi) 8 Nurseries Carry This Plant

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Lilium parryi is a rare species of lily known by the common names lemon lily and Parry's lily. It is native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico where it is a rare sighting in moist areas in mountain habitat. In California it is currently known from the San Bernardino and San Gabriel Mountains and a few remaining spots near Palomar Mountain to the south. It is the only true lily native to Arizona, where a few populations can be found in the Huachuca, Chiricahua, and Santa Rita Mountains. An occurrence of the plant was discovered in Sonora just south of the United States border in 1993. This is a perennial herb growing erect to about 2 meters in height from a scaly, elongated bulb up to 11 centimeters long. The leaves are generally linear in shape, up to 29 centimeters long, and usually arranged in whorls around the stem. The flower cluster is a raceme bearing up to 31 large, showy, bright lemon yellow flowers. The trumpet-shaped, fragrant flowers have six curling petals up to 11 centimeters long, sometimes with a few reddish spots. There are six stamens tipped with large anthers up to 1.4 centimeters long. The pistil may be 10 centimeters long. The flowers are pollinated by hawkmoths, especially Hyles lineata and Sphinx perelegans.

Plant Description

Plant Type

Perennial herb

Size

4 - 8 ft tall

Flower Color

Yellow, Red

Flowering Season

Summer, Fall

Wildlife Supported

Butterflies & moths hosted ( 2 likely * ) SHOW ALL

White-lined Sphinx Hyles lineataHyles lineata

Reaper Dart Euxoa messoriaEuxoa messoria

Landscaping Information

Sun

Full Sun, Part Shade

Moisture

Moderate - High

Nurseries

Carried by 8

Soil Drainage

Fast, Medium, Slow

Soil Description

Tolerant of a variety of garden soils as long as sufficient moisture is available

Common uses

Hummingbird Gardens, Butterfly Gardens

Propagation?

For propagating by seed: Sow outdoors in summer for germination the following spring, or 3-6 mos. warm then 2-3 mos. cold stratification. For forcing slightly green or fresh seeds: 6-8 wks. warm (70°F) stratification or until the majority of seeds have formed bulblets; then 4-6 wks. cold (about 35°FJ stratification; sow, and at 55 to 60°F leaves should be produced in 4-6 wks. (De Graaff 1951).

Natural Setting

Site Type

Meadows and stream edges

Climate

Annual Precipitation: 11.1" - 52.7", Summer Precipitation: 0.33" - 3.03", Coldest Month: 27.8" - 52.2", Hottest Month: 49.5" - 80.8", Humidity: 2.12" - 31.09", Elevation: 1076" - 11503"

Alternative Names

Common Names: Parry's Lily

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Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links: Jepson eFlora Taxon Page CalPhotos Wikipedia Calflora

Lemon Lily

Lilium parryi

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Lemon LilyLilium parryi

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Lemon Lily

Lilium parryi