Coast lily facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Coast lily |
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L. maritimum
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| Lilium maritimum Kellogg
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The Coast Lily (Lilium maritimum) is a beautiful type of lily. It is special because it grows only in California. You can find it along the coast, mostly north of San Francisco. This lily used to grow more widely. Now, it is mainly found from Marin County to Del Norte County. It is most common in Mendocino County. The Coast Lily likes to live in coastal grasslands, pine forests, and wet areas called bogs. Sometimes, it grows near interesting plants like Drosera (sundews).
What Does the Coast Lily Look Like?
The Coast Lily is a perennial herb. This means it's a plant that lives for many years. It usually grows taller than a meter (about 3 feet). Sometimes, it can even reach over two meters (about 6.5 feet) tall! But if it grows in windy places like coastal cliffs, it might be much smaller.
This lily grows from a special underground part called a bulb. A bulb is like a big, scaly onion. It helps the plant store food. The bulb of the Coast Lily can be several centimeters long.
The plant has oval-shaped leaves. Most of these leaves grow near the bottom of the stem. Some leaves also grow in circles, called whorls, around the stem. These leaves can be up to 18 centimeters (about 7 inches) long.
Its Beautiful Flowers
The Coast Lily has up to 13 large flowers. They hang downwards, like bells. Each flower has 6 petal-like parts called tepals. These tepals are up to 5 centimeters (about 2 inches) long. Their tips are usually curled tightly backwards. The flowers are red to orange, and often have spots.
Inside the flower, there are 6 stamens. Stamens are the parts that make pollen. The Coast Lily's stamens have large red tips called anthers. These anthers can be over a centimeter long. There is also a central part called a pistil. The pistil can be over 3 centimeters (about 1.2 inches) long.
Who Helps Pollinate the Flowers?
The Coast Lily's flowers are pollinated by different visitors. When the flowers first open, Allen's and Anna's hummingbirds help pollinate them. Later, bumblebees (Bombus species) also visit the flowers and help spread pollen. Pollination is how plants make seeds to grow new plants.
