''Lilium columbianum'' is a

lily ''Lilium'' ( ) is a genus of herbaceous flowering plants growing from bulbs, all with large and often prominent flowers. Lilies are a group of flowering plants which are important in culture and literature in much of the world. Most species are ...

native to western

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

. 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 is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

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, making it the world's List of coun ...

south to northern

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

and east to

Montana Montana ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota to the east, South Dakota to the southeast, Wyoming to the south, an ...

in the northwestern

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. 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 primari ...

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 United States census, the population was 1,008,654. The county seat is Fresno, the fifth-most populo ...

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 around the stem of the plant.

Uses

Food

Coast Salish The Coast Salish peoples are 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 on ...

Nuu-chah-nulth The Nuu-chah-nulth ( ; ), also formerly referred to as the Nootka, Nutka, Aht, Nuuchahnulth or Tahkaht, are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast in Canada. The term Nuu-chah-nulth is used to describe fifteen related tri ...

and most western

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

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