Lilium iridollae M.G. Henry

Panhandle Lily

Herb

Perennial

Vascular

Panhandle Lily is a native herbaceous perennial in the Lily family (Liliaceae). It can be found in the southernmost tier of Alabama’s counties. Panhandle Lily occurs in pitcher plant bogs, in seeps, in wet pine flatwoods, in hardwood bay heads, and in wet roadside ditches. It is a perennial with a rhizomatous bulb. New bulbs are produced on thin perpendicular branches. Stems are 3-8 feet tall, green in color, and unbranched below the inflorescence. The leaves are in 3-5 whorls of 3-10 leaves per whorl along the stem. The leaves are oblanceolate to obovate or elliptic in outline, and glabrous. Flowers are produced in terminal umbels. Each umbel has from 1-4 flowers. Individual flowers are pendent, non-fragrant, with 6 reflexed tepals. The tepals are yellow or yellow-orange in color and spotted with purple-brown spots. There is a green six-pointed “star” in the center of the flower. The stamens are long exserted with purple anthers. The fruit is a capsule with numerous flat, papery, triangular, tan seed. Panhandle Lily is pollinated by swallowtail butterflies such as the spicebush (Papilio troilus Linnaeus), pipevine (Battus philenor Linnaeus), and eastern tiger (Papilio glaucus Linnaeus). Panhandle Lily is similar to the Turk's Cap Lily (Lilium superbum Linnaeus). It differs from that species by having rhizomatous bulbs, being shorter in stature with fewer whorls of leaves, having fewer flowers, and having flowers with a more yellow color. Panhandle Lily is listed as a S1 species in Alabama (typically 5 or fewer occurrences, very few remaining individuals, acres, or miles of stream, or some factor of its biology making it especially vulnerable in the state), and globally as a G2 species (imperiled globally because of rarity (6 - 20 occurrences, or few remaining acres, or miles of stream) or very vulnerable to extinction throughout its range because of other factors).--A. Diamond

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Native FAC (NWPL) S1 (State Rank) G2 (Global Rank)

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