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Species Image Gallery (opens in a new window) |
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| THE LILY FAMILY | |||||||||
| The lilies are well-known in Saskatchewan. The most easily recognizable lily is the western red lily, our provincial flower. These plants are perennial herbs that grow from an underground bulb. The leaves are either on the stem or in basal rosettes. If the leaves are on the stem, they are alternately arranged and sheathing at the base. The inflorescences are at the top of the plant and are in an unbranched or umbrella-like cluster. Occasionally the flowers may be solitary. The flowers are usually regular in shape and have coloured tepals. The tepals frequently have stripes or spots. Each flower has six stamens and a superior ovary. The fruit is a capsule. | |||||||||
| WOOD LILY | |||||||||
| LATIN NAME: Lilium philadelphicum var. philadelphicum | |||||||||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | |||||||||
| Wood lily closely resembles the western red lily, our provincial emblem. These plants grow up to 1.2 m tall from chunky, scaly bulbs. This variety can be distinguished from the western red lily by the leaf arrangement. In the wood lily, the leaves are mostly in whorls, compared to the western red lily which has mostly scattered leaves and a few whorls. There are between three and 11 leaves per whorl. The leaves are narrow and are widest in the middle. Each stem has one to three flowers in an umbrella-like cluster. The flowers are large, and can be up to 8 cm long. The tepals are somewhat recurved. The base of the tepal tapers to a “claw”. The tepals are orange, reddish-orange or yellowish-orange with maroon spots. The anthers are a dull maroon colour. The pollen can be dark orange, brown, or yellow. The fruit is a capsule. | |||||||||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | |||||||||
| Wood lily is found in dry open woods, thickets, clearings, and grassy meadows. | |||||||||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | |||||||||
| This species is found in east-central Saskatchewan in the Boreal Transition, Mid-Boreal Upland, and Mid-Boreal Lowland ecoregions. | |||||||||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | |||||||||
| Wood lily is threatened because of rarity in Saskatchewan. Its occurrence is regionally restricted and populations are almost always locally sparse. No immediate threats are known but are quite possible in the future. | |||||||||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY WOOD LILY | |||||||||
| * Are the flowers large and orange in colour? * Are the leaves in whorls? * Is a bulb present? * Did you find it in east-central Saskatchewan? | |||||||||
| If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have found wood lily! | |||||||||
