Coast Lily, Lilium maritimum

About Coast Lily (Lilium maritimum) 0 Nurseries Carry This Plant

Add to My Plant List

Lilium maritimum is a species of lily known by the common name coast lily. It is endemic to California, where it is known only from the coastline north of San Francisco. It occurred south of San Francisco in the past; these occurrences have all been extirpated. It is now restricted to the North Coast, particularly in Mendocino County, where it grows in coastal prairie habitat, coniferous forests, and bogs amongst Drosera species. This is a perennial herb usually exceeding a meter in height and known to exceed two meters at times. Specimens from coastal bluffs and similar harsh habitat are much smaller. The plant grows from a scaly, elongated bulb several centimeters long. The oval leaves are mostly basal, with some located in several whorls about the stem. They may reach 18 centimeters long. The flower cluster bears up to 13 large, nodding lily flowers. The flower is bell-shaped with 6 petals with tips recurved or curled tightly back. The petals are up to 5 centimeters long and red to orange, usually with spots. There are 6 stamens with large red anthers sometimes over a centimeter long, and a pistil which may be over 3 centimeters in length. The flowers are pollinated by Allen's and Anna's Hummingbirds when first open, and later by bumblebees (Bombus spp.).

Plant Description

Plant Type

Perennial herb

Size

3.3 - 8 ft tall

Flower Color

Orange, Red

Flowering Season

Spring, Summer

Wildlife Supported

Butterflies & moths hosted ( 3 likely * ) SHOW ALL

Virginian Tiger Moth Spilosoma virginicaSpilosoma virginica

Reaper Dart Euxoa messoriaEuxoa messoria

Figwort Stem Borer Papaipema sauzalitaePapaipema sauzalitae

Landscaping Information

Sun

Full Sun, Part Shade

Moisture

Low, Moderate - High

Ease of Care

Moderately Easy

Soil Drainage

Fast, Medium, Slow, Standing

Soil Description

Soil PH: 4.3 - 5.8

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

Bogs and open places

Climate

Annual Precipitation: 30.7" - 94.6", Summer Precipitation: 0.40" - 2.52", Coldest Month: 40.9" - 48.7", Hottest Month: 58.4" - 71.4", Humidity: 0.01" - 17.36", Elevation: 9" - 2346"

Print Plant Sign Print Plant Label

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

Coast Lily

Lilium maritimum

Sign in to your Calscape Account X

Coast LilyLilium maritimum

Sign in to your Calscape Account X

Coast Lily

Lilium maritimum