''Lilium pyrophilum'', the sandhills lily, is a

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

n species of plant in the lily family. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to the Sandhills region of 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 ...

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 ...

and northern

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

, in the eastern United States.Skinner, Mark W. & Sorrie, Bruce 2002. Conservation and ecology of Lilium pyrophilum, a new species of Liliacaeae from the Sandhills Region of the Carolinas and Virginia, U.S.A. Novon 12(1): 94–105, figures 1–3.
short diagnosis in Latin, commentary in English; line drawing; distribution map; photos; comparisons with other species, etc. ''Lilium pyrophilum'' produces a rhizomatous bulbous root system which is occasionally branched. The plant grows to 0.6-1.6 m (*) It has long narrow, slightly pointed leaves arranged in a variable number of whorls around the stem. The leaves may be upright or drooping. The yellow or yellow–orange inflorescence is borne on

racemes 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 ...

of 1–7 flowers, they are pendant and not fragrant. The petals can be reddish, reddish–orange, dusky red or magenta towards the tip and marked with magenta spots and turned back in a "turks cap" shape. The anthers are magenta or purple. It blooms from late July to mid–August. Lilium pyrophilum is also named the "Sandhills lily" from its restricted location where it benefits from regular brush fires.Flora of North America Vol. 26 Page 194 Sandhills lily , ''Lilium pyrophilum'' M. W. Skinner & Sorrie, Novon. 12: 94, figs. 1, 2. 2002.
/ref> ''Lilium pyrophilum'' is botanically related to ''

Lilium superbum ''Lilium superbum'' is a species of true lily native to the eastern and central regions of North America. Common names include Turk's cap lily, turban lily, swamp lily, lily royal, or American tiger lily. The native range of the species extends ...

'', with which it may be confused, and ''

Lilium michauxii ''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, ...

'' with which it can cross-pollinate. By observations it appears that the

ruby-throated hummingbird The ruby-throated hummingbird (''Archilochus colubris'') is a species of hummingbird that generally spends the winter in Central America, Mexico, and Florida, and migrates to Canada and other parts of Eastern North America for the summer to bree ...

s (''Archilocus colubris'') may be involved in the pollination of this flower and the Palamedes swallowtail butterfly also pollinates this lily.

References

pyrophilum Endemic flora of the United States Flora of Virginia Flora of North Carolina Flora of South Carolina Plants described in 2002 Flora without expected TNC conservation status {{liliales-stub