''Lilium michauxii'', commonly known as the Carolina lily,Bailey, L.H.; Bailey, E.Z.; the staff of the Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium (1976). ''Hortus third: A concise dictionary of plants cultivated in the United States and Canada''. Macmillan, New York. can be found in the southeastern

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 territorie ...

from southern

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

in the north to the

Florida Panhandle The Florida Panhandle (also West Florida and Northwest Florida) is the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Florida; it is a Salient (geography), salient roughly long and wide, lying between Alabama on the north and the west, Georgia (U. ...

in the south to eastern

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

in the west. It is most common in July and August but can be found blooming as late as October. It was named for the French

botanist Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek wo ...

André Michaux André Michaux, also styled Andrew Michaud, (8 March 174611 October 1802) was a French botanist and explorer. He is most noted for his study of North American flora. In addition Michaux collected specimens in England, Spain, France, and even Per ...

, who traveled and did extensive research throughout the Southeast. The common name "Carolina lily" reflects an older taxonomy that used the name ''Lilium carolinianum'' for both ''L. michauxii'' and '' L. catesbaei''. Another common name, Turk's cap lily, has been listed for ''L. michauxii'', although '' L. superbum'' (which is very similar in appearance to ''L. michauxii'') shares this common name. The Carolina lily can grow to 3½ feet tall with flowers 3–4 inches across. It is the only fragrant lily east of the

Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in straight-line distance from the northernmost part of western Canada, to New Mexico in ...

. Its petals bend backward and are spotted. Colors range from yellow through orange to red for background petal color and from red through purple to brown for the spots.Flora of North America Vol. 26 Page 195 Carolina lily ''Lilium michauxii'' Poiret in J. Lamarck et al., Encycl., Suppl. 3: 457. 1814.
/ref> (Note photo below) The Carolina lily is the official state

wildflower A wildflower (or wild flower) is a flower that grows in the wild, meaning it was not intentionally seeded or planted. The term implies that the plant probably is neither a hybrid nor a selected cultivar that is in any way different from the w ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

References

External links

Auburn University Wildflower Notes
{{Taxonbar, from=Q141789 michauxii Flora of the Southeastern United States Symbols of North Carolina Plants described in 1803 Taxa named by André Michaux Flora without expected TNC conservation status