''Lilium parryi'', common name lemon lily, is a rare species of lily. ''Lilium parryi'' is native to the

southwestern United States The Southwestern United States, also known as the American Southwest or simply the Southwest, is a geographic and cultural region of the United States that generally includes Arizona, New Mexico, and adjacent portions of California, Colorado, Ne ...

and northwestern Mexico where it grows in moist areas in mountain habitats. In California it is currently known from the San Bernardino and

San Gabriel Mountains The San Gabriel Mountains ( es, Sierra de San Gabriel) are a mountain range located in northern Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County and western San Bernardino County, California, United States. The mountain range is part of the Tr ...

and a few remaining spots near Palomar Mountain to the south.California Native Plant Society Rare Plant Profile
/ref> It is the only true lily native to Arizona, where a few populations can be found in the Huachuca,

Chiricahua Chiricahua ( ) is a band of Apache Native Americans. Based in the Southern Plains and Southwestern United States, the Chiricahua (Tsokanende ) are related to other Apache groups: Ndendahe (Mogollon, Carrizaleño), Tchihende (Mimbreño), Sehende ...

, and Santa Rita Mountains.Arizona Game & Fish Department
/ref> In Mexico, it has been found in mountains in the states of

Sonora Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Sonora), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is d ...

and Baja California.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
/ref> ''Lilium parryi'' is a perennial herb growing erect to about 2 meters in height 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 long. The leaves are generally linear in shape, up to long, and usually arranged in whorls around the stem. The inflorescence is a

raceme A raceme ( or ) or racemoid is an unbranched, indeterminate type of inflorescence bearing flowers having short floral stalks along the shoots that bear the flowers. The oldest flowers grow close to the base and new flowers are produced as the s ...

bearing up to 31 large, showy, bright lemon yellow flowers. The trumpet-shaped, fragrant flowers have six curling tepals up to long, sometimes with a few reddish spots. There are six

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 tipped with large anthers up to long. The

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'' ...

may be long. The flowers are pollinated by hawkmoths, especially '' Hyles lineata'' and ''

Sphinx perelegans ''Sphinx perelegans'', the elegant sphinx, is a species of hawkmoth. Distribution It is native to western North America from British Columbia to Baja California and to New Mexico. Description The wingspan is 98–110 mm. Sphinx pere ...

''.Center for Plant Conservation
/ref> Threats to this species include grazing, recreation, natural flooding and human alterations in water regimes, and horticultural collecting of the bulbs and flowers. ''Lilium parryi'' was named for Charles Christopher Parry (28 August 1823 – 20 February 1890), a British-American botanist and mountaineer. Idyllwild, California, hosts the Lemon Lily Festival, which celebrates this species.Lemon Lily Festival

References

External links

Calflora Database: ''Lilium parryi'' (lemon lily)Jepson Manual Treatment of ''Lilium parryi''USDA Plants Profile for ''Lilium parryi'' (lemon lily)UC Photos gallery: ''Lilium parryi''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q631330 parryi Flora of Arizona Flora of California Flora of Baja California Flora of Sonora Natural history of the Peninsular Ranges Natural history of the Transverse Ranges Flora without expected TNC conservation status