''Lilium kelleyanum'' is a California species of
lily
''Lilium'' () is a genus of Herbaceous plant, 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 mu ...
known by the common name Kelley's lily. It grows primarily in wetlands 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 well as in the
Coast Ranges
The Pacific Coast Ranges (officially gazetted as the Pacific Mountain System in the United States) are the series of mountain ranges that stretch along the West Coast of North America from Alaska south to Northern and Central Mexico. Although the ...
and southern
Cascades in the northern part of the state.
Description
''Lilium kelleyanum'' is a perennial herb known to exceed two meters in height. It originates from a scaly, elongated
bulb
In botany, a bulb is structurally a short stem with fleshy leaves or leaf basesBell, A.D. 1997. ''Plant form: an illustrated guide to flowering plant morphology''. Oxford University Press, Oxford, U.K. that function as food storage organs duri ...
up to about long. The oval leaves are located in several whorls about the stem, each up to long and drooping at the tip. The
inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...
bears up to 25 large, nodding lily flowers. The flower is bell-shaped with 6 strongly recurved yellow to orange
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 up to long. There are 6
stamen
The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10
Morphology and terminology
A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filame ...
s with large red anthers and a
pistil
Gynoecium (; ) is most commonly used as a collective term for the parts of a flower that produce ovules and ultimately develop into the fruit and seeds. The gynoecium is the innermost whorl of a flower; it consists of (one or more) ''pistils'' ...
which may be over long. The flowers are
pollinated
Pollination is the transfer of pollen from an anther of a plant to the stigma of a plant, later enabling fertilisation and the production of seeds, most often by an animal or by wind. Pollinating agents can be animals such as insects, birds, ...
by
swallowtails.
References
External links
Jepson Manual Treatment: ''Lilium kelleyanum''United States Department of Agriculture Plants Profile: ''Lilium kelleyanum''Calphotos ''Lilium kelleyanum'' Photo gallery
kelleyanum
Endemic flora of California
Plants described in 1903
Flora without expected TNC conservation status
{{liliales-stub