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Taxon  Report  
Lilium pardalinum  Kellogg  ssp. pitkinense  (Beane & Vollmer) M. W. Skinner
Pitkin marsh lily
Lilium pardalinum ssp. pitkinense is a perennial herb (bulb) that is native to California, and endemic (limited) to California.
also called Lilium pitkinense
California Rare Plant Rank: 1B.1 (rare, threatened, or endangered in CA and elsewhere).
State of California status: Endangered. Federal status: Endangered.
Siskiyou Del Norte Modoc Humboldt Shasta Lassen Trinity Plumas Tehama Butte Mendocino Glenn Sierra Yuba Lake Nevada Colusa Placer Sutter El Dorado Yolo Alpine Napa Sonoma Sacramento Mono Amador Solano Calaveras Tuolumne San Joaquin Marin Contra Costa Alameda Santa Cruz Mariposa Madera San Francisco San Mateo Merced Fresno Stanislaus Santa Clara Inyo San Benito Tulare Kings Monterey San Bernardino San Luis Obispo Kern Santa Barbara Ventura Los Angeles Riverside Orange San Diego Imperial
Observation Search
~6 records in California
yellowone or more occurrences
within a 7.5-minute quadrangle
DJJJASONAFMM

Bloom Period
Parent: Lilium pardalinum
Genus: Lilium
Family: Liliaceae  
Category: angiosperm  
PLANTS group:Monocot
Jepson eFlora section: monocot

Wetlands: Occurs usually in wetlands, occasionally in non wetlands

Habitat: freshwater-marsh

Communities: Freshwater Wetlands, Foothill Woodland, wetland-riparian

Name Status:
Accepted by JEF + CNPS + PLANTS

Alternate Names:
JEF + CNPS + PLANTSLilium pitkinense
Information about  Lilium pardalinum ssp. pitkinense from other sources
Nursery availability from CNPLX
This plant is available commercially.
Jepson eFlora

USDA PLANTS Profile (LIPAP5)

Photos on Calflora

Photos on CalPhotos

Google Images

Photos on iNaturalist

ID Tips on PlantID.net

[wildlife.ca.gov] Endangered, Description, Habitat, Threats: Pitkin Marsh lily is a California endangered plant species, which means that killing or possession of plants collected from the wild is prohibited by the California Endangered Species Act (CESA). Pitkin Marsh lily is a perennial herb that grows three to six feet tall with large flowers that are red on the outside and become yellow with maroon dots at the center. It flowers from June to July and is distinguished from the subspecies L. pardalinum ssp. pardalinum by its shorter petals and anthers. Pitkin Marsh lily only grows in permanently saturated, sandy soils at the edges of marsh wetlands and riparian habitat. Pitkin Marsh lily is also listed as endangered under the federal Endangered Species Act(opens in new tab). When Pitkin marsh lily was federally listed in 1997, it was known to exist at three occurrences in two marshes in Sonoma County, both of which were privately owned. At the time of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service?s 5-Year Review (PDF)(opens in new tab) conducted in 2009, only one of these occurrences was confirmed to exist. This occurrence is under a 19-acre conservation easement held by CDFW, and is managed by a local chapter of the California Native Plant Society. The other two occurrences are located on a privately owned marsh that has not been surveyed since 2001 when the occurrences were last confirmed. A portion of the marsh is owned by the Sonoma Land Trust, which provides a buffer to impacts from development. The largest threat to the survival of Pitkin Marsh lily is loss and disturbance of habitat resulting from nearby residential development. Even if development does not directly affect occupied habitat, it could cause changes in hydrology and enable encroachment by invasive species. Monitoring of the portion of the marsh owned by the Sonoma Land Trust indicates that it is becoming drier. Developing rural residences, driveways, and agricultural operations such as vineyards could also lead to increases in runoff, nutrient loading, erosion, sedimentation, and changes in soil pH. Although trampling and grazing were previously noted as potential threats, grazing has been removed from the immediate areas surrounding the plant and removing the grazers may have facilitated the establishment of invasive plants. Additional threats include hybridization with other lily species, the inability to self-pollinate, competition with invasive species, and global climate change. (contributed by Mary Ann Machi)


Suggested Citation
Calflora: Information on California plants for education, research and conservation, with data contributed by public and private institutions and individuals. [web application]. 2024. Berkeley, California: The Calflora Database [a non-profit organization]. Available: https://www.calflora.org/   (Accessed: 03/28/2024).