The Columbia Lily, sometimes called the Tiger Lily, has a magnificent apple sized and pumpkin colored blossom that blooms in the early half of the summer. The blossoms can stand up to 5ft high on their slender green stalk. They are hard to miss where they occur, along trails and in semi-shaded places in the open forest. They are also hard to find because they seem to grow singularly or in groups of only two or so plants with no others around.
They have been used to treat coughs and fevers and even spider bites. They have a peppery taste so were often used as a condiment with other foods.
Like most lilies they grow from a corm that stores energy and can release that energy as needed during growth and under stressful conditions such as drought. And also like other lilies, deer are very fond of them and often eat the tender new plants before they have a chance to bloom, making them even harder to find.
They are not terribly common on the island but can be found in undisturbed wooded areas near the Baker Preserve trail and also off the trail in the wooded areas of the Curry Preserve.
This plant was photographed in the first week of July near the top of the Baker Preserve trail.
Dal Neitzel