Lilium humboldtii

Roezl & Leichtlin ex Duchartre

J. Soc. Centr. Hort. France, sér. 2, 5: 43. 1871.

Common names: Humboldt lily
IllustratedEndemic
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 26. Treatment on page 181. Mentioned on page 177, 178.

Bulbs often somewhat purplish, variable, subrhizomatous to ± ovoid, 3.3–11.7 × 2.4–14.4 cm, 0.4–2.6 (–3) times taller than long; scales unsegmented or notched, longest 3.5–11.2 cm; stem roots present or absent. Stems to 3.1 m. Buds rounded in cross-section. Leaves in 2–8 whorls or partial whorls, 3–16 (–28) leaves per whorl, usually ascending, 4.6–14.5 × 0.8–3.6 cm, 2.9–7.2 times longer than wide; blade usually ± oblanceolate, though often weakly so, rarely elliptic or lanceolate, margins usually undulate, apex acute; veins and margins ± smooth abaxially. Inflorescences racemose, 1–33 (–40) -flowered. Flowers pendent, not fragrant; perianth Turk’s-cap-shaped; sepals and petals reflexed 1/5 along length from base, orange or yellow, with prominent red or magenta spots, not distinctly clawed; sepals not ridged abaxially, 5.2–9.8 × 1.4–2.4 cm; petals 5.6–9.6 × 1.5–2.9 cm; stamens strongly exserted; filaments parallel along most of length, then very widely spreading, diverging 17°–31° from axis; anthers purple, 1.1–1.9 cm; pollen rust, tan, or peach, becoming yellow or tan-yellow; pistil 4.6–7.1 cm; ovary 1.2–2.6 cm; style green, often pale; pedicel 7.8–21.2 cm. Capsules longitudinally keeled, 2.5–5.4 × 1.8–3.3 cm, 1.1–2.3 times longer than wide. Seeds not counted.

Discussion

Subspecies 2 (2 in the flora).

Lilium humboldtii is declining throughout its range due to habitat destruction, primarily for housing. Forming large scattered colonies at foothill elevations under ponderosa pines or in oak canyons and chaparral, these massive plants with towering inflorescences and large flowers are quite striking. With Lilium pardalinum and L. parryi, they were used in the early part of the century to produce the Bellingham hybrid lilies, development of which continued with the Bellmaid hybrids. Though not as popular as various Asiatic hybrids, these are still in use.

A. M. Kellogg was aware as early as 1859 that the tall, orange-flowered, dry-land lily from the foothills of the Sierra Nevada was distinctive, and he presented this opinion to the California Academy of Sciences about that time (A. M. Kellogg 1872). By the time he had published a description attached to the name Lilium bloomerianum, P. E. S. Duchartre had described this same plant from material provided by B. Roezl and grown by M. Leichtlin, and named it after the German explorer and botanist Alexander von Humboldt. Carl Purdy and others then misapplied Kellogg’s name in various combinations to the southern California expression recognized here as Lilium humboldtii subsp. ocellatum.

The Humboldt lily is pollinated primarily by large butterflies, especially western tiger swallowtails (Papilio rutulus Lucas, family Papilionidae) and pale swallowtails (P. eurymedon Lucas), and to a lesser extent by the monarch butterfly [Danaus plexippus (Linnaeus), family Nymphalidae].

Selected References

None.

Key

1 Sepals and petals orange, spots magenta, without lighter red margins; bulbs off white, occasionally flecked with purple, scales always unsegmented; foothills of Sierra Nevada. Lilium humboldtii subsp. humboldtii
1 Sepals and petals yellow or light orange, spots red or magenta, aureolated with lighter red margins; bulbs often purplish, scales usually notched; s California. Lilium humboldtii subsp. ocellatum

"broad" is not a number."wide" is not a number."parallel" is not a number."thicker" is not a number."elongating" is not a number.

... more about "Lilium humboldtii"
darker +, purplish +  and variable +
1.1 cm11 mm <br />0.011 m <br /> (1.9 cm19 mm <br />0.019 m <br />) +
Mark W. Skinner +
Roezl & Leichtlin ex Duchartre +
whorled +, opposite +  and alternate +
visible +, exposed +  and hidden +
loculicidal +
dilated +
constricted +
reticulate-veined +  and parallel-veined +
paler +  and green and somewhat lighter +
lanceolate +, elliptic +  and oblanceolate +
rounded +
contractile +  and branching +
0.4-2.6(-3) times taller than long +
3.3cm +  and 11.7cm +
slanted +  and erect +
chunky +
2.4 cm24 mm <br />0.024 m <br /> (14.4 cm144 mm <br />0.144 m <br />) +
2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br /> (5.4 cm54 mm <br />0.054 m <br />) +
1.8 cm18 mm <br />0.018 m <br /> (3.3 cm33 mm <br />0.033 m <br />) +
Humboldt lily +
translucent +, pale green +  and variable +
diverging +  and spreading +
connate-coroniform +  and dilated +
sessile +  and pedicellate +
diverging +  and spreading +
not fragrant +
unisexual +  and bisexual +
winged +, 3-valved +  and capsular +
brown;green +
indehiscent +, septicidal +  and loculicidal +
1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br /> (7.7 cm77 mm <br />0.077 m <br />) +
oblong-obovate +
membranaceous +  and leathery +
0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br /> (3.3 cm33 mm <br />0.033 m <br />) +
1-33(-40)-flowered +
scattered +  and distributed +
persistent +
4.6 cm46 mm <br />0.046 m <br /> (14.5 cm145 mm <br />0.145 m <br />) +
0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br /> (3.6 cm36 mm <br />0.036 m <br />) +
papillose +  and smooth +
undulate +
1.2 cm12 mm <br />0.012 m <br /> (2.6 cm26 mm <br />0.026 m <br />) +
not articulate +
7.8 cm78 mm <br />0.078 m <br /> (21.2 cm212 mm <br />0.212 m <br />) +
zygomorphic +  and actinomorphic +
s-cap--shaped +
magenta spots +, yellow +  and orange +
distinct +
5.6cm;9.6cm +
included +  and strongly exserted +
differentiated +
1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br /> (2.9 cm29 mm <br />0.029 m <br />) +
oblong +  and 3-lobed +
4.6 cm46 mm <br />0.046 m <br /> (7.1 cm71 mm <br />0.071 m <br />) +
tan-yellow +, yellow +, peach +, tan +  and rust +
J. Soc. Centr. Hort. France, sér. +
wrinkled +
thinner +  and thick +
notched +
3.5 cm35 mm <br />0.035 m <br /> (11.2 cm112 mm <br />0.112 m <br />) +
starchy +  and fleshy +
abscission +
light-brown +
67 +  and 330 +
verrucose +
wedge +  and flattened +
magenta spots +, yellow +  and orange +
distinct +
included;strongly exserted +
ridged +  and clawed +
differentiated +
1.4 cm14 mm <br />0.014 m <br /> (2.4 cm24 mm <br />0.024 m <br />) +
Illustrated +  and Endemic +
adnate +  and free +
glabrous +  and glaucous +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (310 cm3,100 mm <br />3.1 m <br />) +
1 +  and several +
pale +  and green +
3 +  and 1 +
Lilium humboldtii +
species +
connate +  and distinct +
at tips +  and ascending +
sepaloid +  and petaloid +
narrower +
3 +  and 16 +