Lilium catesbaei

Lilium catesbaei
Conservation status
Apparently Secure  (NatureServe) [1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Monocots
Order:	Liliales
Family:	Liliaceae
Subfamily:	Lilioideae
Genus:	Lilium
Species:	L. catesbaei
Binomial name
Lilium catesbaei Walter [2] 1788 not Kunth 1843 (syn of L. pensylvanicum)
Synonyms [3]
Lilium spectabileSalisb. Lilium carolinianumBosc ex Lam.

Lilium catesbaei, sometimes known as Catesby's lily, pine lily, ^[2] leopard lily, tiger lily, or southern-red lily ^[4] is a species of lily native to the coastal plain of the American Southeast, from southeast Virginia to Florida, west to Louisiana. ^{[5] [6]}

The species epithet is named after the English botanist Mark Catesby, who collected plants in the Southeastern United States in the early 18th Century. ^[7]

Description

L. catesbaei is a perennial plant reaching 0.9 m in height, emerging from an ovoid bulb, 1.6-2.5 x 1.3-2.4 cm. ^[8]

The single, terminal flower is upright with 6 tepals (petals and sepals that look very similar), 7.6-11.1 cm long. The reflexed tepals are crimson-orange toward the tip, with nectar guides toward the base that are yellow with maroon or magenta spots. ^[9] The stamens are moderately exserted, running parallel to the pale green style. The anthers are 0.4-1.6 cm long and covered in burnt orange or dark tan pollen. The single pistil is 7.6-10.5 cm long with an ovary 1.4-3.5 cm long. The whole flower sits on a pedicel 1.8-9.5 cm long. ^[8]

The fruit is a capsule, often ridged along the margins, 2.2-5.3 cm long by 0.8-1.6 cm wide. ^[8]

This species has the largest flower of any native North American lily. In small plants, the weight of the flower sometimes topples the slender stem. It generally blooms from late June to October in most of its range, though in the Florida Peninsula it may sporadically bloom in spring and fall.

The seeds have a high rate of viability (90-95%) after they are released. In cultivation under ideal conditions, plants may grow from seed to flower in a single year. In habitat, this usually take 2-3 years. ^[10]

It requires hot, wet, acidic soil inhospitable to most other lily species. ^{[11] [8]}

Ecology

L. catesbaei is adapted to frequent fires, blooming more conspicuously post-fire. ^[12] Wildfire suppression is a factor leading to the species' decline in many areas. ^{[10] [8]}

The primary pollinator of L. catesbaei is the Palamedes swallowtail. Spicebush swallowtails also visit the flowers, though their smaller size may make them less effective pollinators. ^[8]

Conservation Status

L. catesbaei is designated by NatureServe as an apparently secure (G4) species globally. However, this status was last reviewed in 1988, meaning it may not reflect the current state of the species. In Louisiana and Virginia, it is a critically imperiled species, where habitat destruction and fire suppresion pose significant threats to existing populations. In 2010 it was designated as a threatened species in Florida but has since had that status revoked. ^[13] The table below lists the subnational conservation status in each U.S. state the species is present. ^[6]

Subnational Conservation Statuses by State ^[6]

Subnational Rank	U.S. State
Critically Imperiled (S1)	Louisiana, Virginia [14]
Vulnerable (S3)	North Carolina, South Carolina
Vulnerable/Apparently Secure (S3S4)	Alabama, Mississippi
Apparently Secure (S4)	Florida
No Status Rank (SNR)	Georgia

See also

• Deer Prairie Creek Preserve in Florida, notable for Lilium catesbaei

References

1. NatureServe (17 October 1988). "Lilium catesbaei". NatureServe Explorer. Arlington, Virginia. Retrieved 11 January 2026.
2. Justice, William S.; Bell, C. Ritchie; Lindsey, Anne H. (2005). Wild Flowers of North Carolina (2. printing. ed.). Chapel Hill, NC: Univ. of North Carolina Press. p. 35. ISBN   0807855979.
3. Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
4. "Lilium catesbaei". Germplasm Resources Information Network . Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture . Retrieved December 31, 2014.
5. Biota of North America Program 2014 county distribution map
6. NatureServe (9 January 2026). "Lilium catesbaei". NatureServe Explorer. Arlington, Virginia. Retrieved 11 January 2026.
7. Howard, Richard A.; Staples, George W. (1983). "The Modern Names for Catesby's Plants". Journal of the Arnold Arboretum. 64 (4): 511–546. ISSN   0004-2625.
8. Flora of North America Editorial Committee (ed.). "Lilium catesbaei". Flora of North America North of Mexico (FNA). New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press – via eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
9. "Lilium catesbaei". Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. Retrieved December 31, 2014.
10. Huffman, Jean (2000). "Restoration of Florida Pine Savanna: Flowering Response of Lilium Catesbaei to Fire and Roller-Chopping" (PDF). Natural Areas Journal. 20: 12–23.
11. "North American Lilium A-M". Pacific Bulb Society. Retrieved December 31, 2014.
12. Abrahamson, Warren G. (1984). "Species Responses to Fire on the Florida Lake Wales Ridge". American Journal of Botany. 71 (1): 35–43. doi:10.1002/j.1537-2197.1984.tb12482.x. ISSN   1537-2197.
13. Weaver, Richard; Anderson, Patti (2010). Notes on Florida's Endangered and Threatened Plants (PDF) (5th ed.). Gainesville, FL: Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. p. 93.
14. Townsend, John F., 2025. Natural Heritage Resources of Virginia: Rare Plants. Natural Heritage Rare Species Lists (2025-Fall). Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Natural Heritage, Richmond, Virginia. 9 pp. plus rare species lists and appendices.