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''Lilium columbianum'' is a
lily ''Lilium'' () is a genus of herbaceous flowering plants growing from bulbs, all with large prominent flowers. They are the true lilies. Lilies are a group of flowering plants which are important in culture and literature in much of the world. M ...
native to western
North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the C ...
. It is also known as the Columbia lily, Columbia tiger lily, or simply tiger lily (sharing the latter common name with several other lily species in its genus).


Distribution and habitat

''Lilium columbianum'' occurs in lowland and montane forest openings and meadows from southern
British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, for ...
in
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world ...
south to northern
California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the mo ...
and east to
Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Colu ...
in the northwestern
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...
. Mostly occurring below , it usually blooms in June through early August. There are a few isolated populations at high elevations in the
Sierra Nevada The Sierra Nevada () is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primarily ...
as far south as
Fresno County Fresno County (), officially the County of Fresno, is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 1,008,654. The county seat is Fresno, the fifth-most populous city in Cali ...
.


Description

''Lilium columbianum'' is a perennial herb that grows up to tall, and bears from few to numerous orange flowers with darker spots. The
tepal A tepal is one of the outer parts of a flower (collectively the perianth). The term is used when these parts cannot easily be classified as either sepals or petals. This may be because the parts of the perianth are undifferentiated (i.e. of very ...
s are 3 to 6 cm long and the flowers are lightly scented. Like many true lilies, the leaves are arranged in
whorls A whorl ( or ) is an individual circle, oval, volution or equivalent in a whorled pattern, which consists of a spiral or multiple concentric objects (including circles, ovals and arcs). Whorls in nature File:Photograph and axial plane floral d ...
around the stem of the plant.


Uses


Food

Coast Salish The Coast Salish is a group of ethnically and linguistically related Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast, living in the Canadian province of British Columbia and the U.S. states of Washington and Oregon. They speak one of the Coas ...
, Nuu-chah-nulth and most western Washington peoples steamed, boiled or pit-cooked its bulbs. Bitter or peppery-tasting, they were mostly used as a flavoring, often in soup with meat or fish.


Horticulture

From seed, ''Lilium columbianum'' requires three to five years to mature. Cultivated bulbs can be divided or bulb scales may be used to generate new plants more quickly.


Gallery

File:Tiger Lilly Kyle Munro.JPG, ''Lilium columbianum'' flower, from a garden in Scotland. File:Columbia Lily Buds (3630078580).jpg, Columbia Lily Buds File:3rd Sun Peaks alpine visit of the summer...the Tiger Lily (Lillum columbianum)... (28429089550).jpg, File:Lilium columbianum by creek.jpg, Lilium columbianum by creek File:Lilium columbianum 3174.JPG, Lilium columbianum anthers File:Lilium columbianum in burned area.jpg, Lilium columbianum in burned area File:Lilium columbianum 3942.JPG, The fruit is an erect capsule that is generally smooth and contains numerous flat seeds in six stacks. File:Lilium columbianum pair withBud Swall.jpg, Lilium columbianum bud & flowers, at 7000 ft in Sierra Nevada


References


External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q141828 columbianum Flora of British Columbia Flora of the Northwestern United States Flora of the West Coast of the United States Garden plants of North America Plants used in Native American cuisine Plants described in 1871 Flora without expected TNC conservation status