wood lily

not listed

N3N5 - Vulnerable to Secure

SNR - Unranked

not listed

FACU - Facultative upland

FAC - Facultative

FAC - Facultative

Wood lily is a 12″ to 36″ tall, erect, hairless, unbranched perennial rising from a chunky bulb.

The leaves are scattered, more or less alternate, except the uppermost, which are in a whorl. They are stalkless, 2″ to 4″ long, lance-shaped, and taper to a sharp point. The tips droop when the sky is overcast, and ascend in the sun.

The inflorescence is a terminal cluster of flowers arising from a single point at the top of the stem. There may be 1 to 5 flowers, but there are rarely more than 3.

The large flowers are 2½″ wide and are not fragrant. They are widely bell shaped and erect—they do not hang downward. They consist of 6 distinctly clawed tepals, 3 inner tepals (petals) that are similar in appearance but somewhat wider and shorter than the 3 outer tepals (sepals). The tepals are spoon-shaped and narrow to a slender, stalk-like base (claw). They are erect and flaring, and bend backward slightly toward their tips. They do not touch near the base. They are bright orange or reddish-orange with a yellow throat and purple spots near the throat. The tips come to a blunt point. The stamens equal or project beyond the tepals.

12″ to 36″

Bright orange or reddish-orange

Michigan lily (Lilium michiganense) is much taller, 3′ to 6′ at maturity. The leaves are whorled except near the top, where they are single, in pairs, or in partial whorls. The flowers are 2½″ to 3″ wide, Turk’s-cap shaped, with tepals that bend backward to their base.

Orange daylily (Hemerocallis fulva) is taller, 2′ to 4′ at maturity. It has a basal rosette of grass-like leaves and no leaves on the flowering stem. The flowers are up to 4″ wide, semi-erect or horizontal, funnel-shaped, tannish-orange with a yellow throat and a red stripe. They do not have spots near the throat. They last only one day.

Tiger lily (Lilium lancifolium) has a central stalk that is densely covered with long, tangled, white hairs, especially near the top. The leaves are alternate, even at the top of the stem. The inflorescence is a terminal, branched, elongated, cluster of 3 to 6 flowers, not an umbel. The flowers hang downward at the end of stout, widely spreading flower stems. They are Turk’s-cap shaped, up to 4″ wide and uniformly orange to reddish-orange—they do not have yellow or yellowish throats. They have purple-brown spots except near the tips, not just near the throat. They last more than one day.

Dry. Tall-grass and mid-grass prairies. Full sun to partial sun.

June to August

Sources

2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 24, 28, 29, 30.

Native

Widespread but not common.

Wood lily is becoming increasingly rare due to habitat loss and grazing by whitetail deer.

Wood Lily etc. growing in previous Spring 2021...

Prescribed burn area at Frenchman’s Bluff 6-26-21. Up on top the big hill. There were several of them. Regrowth is coming along nicely. I am not sure what date the prescribed burn took place but it was sometime in the Spring of 2021 since there was a few black burned spots between some grasses and plants in some areas. I hadn’t been out there until recently (late June 2021) this season.

"Wood Lily"...

Out in rural Norman Co. Mn. after a light isolated rain shower.

Plant

Inflorescence

Flower

Location: King’s and Queen’s Bluff SNA

Location: Frenchman’s Bluff SNA

Prescribed burn area at Frenchman’s Bluff 6-26-21. Up on top the big hill. There were several of them. Regrowth is coming along nicely. I am not sure what date the prescribed burn took place but it was sometime in the Spring of 2021 since there was a few black burned spots between some grasses and plants in some areas. I hadn’t been out there until recently (late June 2021) this season.

Location: Sandpiper Prairie SNA

Out in rural Norman Co. Mn. after a light isolated rain shower.

Location: Pennington County MN

The Wood lily is fairly common up here, living in many of the roadway ditches. I have quite a few growing on my property.