Lilium catesbaei (Catesby’s Lily)

Scientific Name

Lilium catesbaei Walter

Common Names

Catesby’s Lily, Pine Lily, Red Pine Lily, Leopard Lily, Tiger Lily, Southern Red Lily

Synonyms

Lilium catesbaei subsp. catesbaei, Lilium catesbaei var. catesbaei, Lilium carolinianum, Lilium spectabile

Scientific Classification

Family: Liliaceae
Subfamily: Lilioideae
Tribe: Lilieae
Genus: Lilium

Flower

Color: Orange, yellow and purple
Bloom Time: Summer and fall

Description

Lilium catesbaei produces a single, very beautiful flower and generally blooms from late summer into fall, depending on its location. The leaves are small and relatively few. The flower is upright with 6 tepals. They tepals are curved backward and are orange toward the tip, yellow and purple-spotted toward the base.

Hardiness

USDA hardiness zone 7a to 10b: from 0 °F (−17.8 °C) to 40 °F (+4.4 °C).

How to Grow and Care

Though lilies look like they’d be fussy plants, they are actually very easy to grow. They’re not particular about soil type or pH and they grow well in full sun, part sun, dappled shade and even light shade.

Plant lilies as soon as you get them, either in the fall or the spring. Because the bulbs lack the papery covering (known as a “tunic”) that is common to other hardy bulbs, they can dry out quickly in storage.

Even more than other bulbs, lilies demand well-drained soil. Dig the spot where you plan to plant lilies to a depth of at least 12 inches (30 cm), remove rocks and add organic matter, such as leaf mold or peat moss to improve both the soil’s structure and drainage. Like other bulbs, lilies appreciate a little bone meal scratched in at the bottom of the planting hole, but do not really require other fertilizers at planting time. Instead, wait until the bulbs send up green leaves and then sprinkle a complete organic fertilizer around the plant and water it in… – See more at: How to Grow and Care for Lilies

Origin

It is native to Florida and the coastal regions of the American Southeast, where it usually grows in damp areas from Louisiana to Virginia.

Links

• Back to genus Lilium
• Plantopedia: Browse flowering plants by Scientific Name, Common Name, Genus, Family, USDA Hardiness Zone or Origin

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