Taxon Summary

Lilium rubescens, commonly known as redwood lily, is a perennial bulbiferous herb in the Liliaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Broadleafed upland forest, Chaparral, Lower montane coniferous forest, North Coast coniferous forest, and Upper montane coniferous forest, growing at elevations from 30 to 1910 meters. Lilium rubescens is ranked 4.2, Plants of Limited Distribution, A Watch List; Moderately threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Lilium rubescens Wats.
Common Name:	redwood lily
Family:	Liliaceae
Element Code:	PMLIL1A0N0
USDA Plants Symbol:	LIRU
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial bulbiferous herb
Blooming Period: (Mar)Apr-Aug(Sep)	(Mar)Apr-Aug(Sep)
Elevation:	30-1910 (100-6265)
General Habitats:	Broadleafed upland forest, Chaparral, Lower montane coniferous forest, North Coast coniferous forest, Upper montane coniferous forest
Microhabitat:	Roadsides (sometimes), Serpentine (sometimes)
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	4.2
Global Rank:	G3
State Rank:	S3
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:	SB_CalBG/RSABG; SB_USDA
CRPR Changes:

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	0
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	0
Good (B)	0
Fair (C)	0
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	0

Location


California Endemic: True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Contra Costa (CCA), Del Norte (DNT), Glenn (GLE), Humboldt (HUM), Lake (LAK), Mendocino (MEN), Napa (NAP), Shasta (SHA), Siskiyou (SIS), Sonoma (SON), Trinity (TRI)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Bailey Ridge (3912324), Bear Harbor (3912388), Blocksburg (4012336), Board Camp Mtn. (4012366), Bridgeville (4012347), Bull Creek (4012431), Bully Choop Mtn. (4012257), Burbeck (3912344), Cahto Peak (3912365), Calistoga (3812255), Carrville (4112216), Chanchelulla Peak (4012248), Chicken Hawk Hill (4112214), Cold Spring (3912315), Comptche (3912335), Covington Mill (4012287), Damnation Peak (4012285), Dinsmore (4012345), Dunsmuir (4112223), Dutchmans Knoll (3912356), Fish Lake (4112336), Hales Grove (3912377), Halfway Ridge (4012353), Honker Bay (3812118), Hyampom (4012354), Hydesville (4012451), Iaqua Buttes (4012368), Johnsons (4112337), Kenwood (3812245), Larabee Valley (4012346), Leggett (3912376), Lincoln Ridge (3912366), Longvale (3912354), Lord-ellis Summit (4012387), Mad River Buttes (4012367), Mark West Springs (3812256), Miranda (4012327), Mistake Point (3912378), Mt. George (3812232), Mumbo Basin (4112225), Myers Flat (4012337), Naufus Creek (4012343), Navarro (3912325), Noble Butte (3912386), Northspur (3912345), Noyo Hill (3912346), Orrs Springs (3912323), Owl Creek (4012358), Papoose Creek (4012276), Philo (3912314), Piercy (3912387), Plaskett Meadows (3912267), Polar Bear Mtn. (4112385), Purdys Gardens (3912311), Redcrest (4012348), Schell Mtn. (4012275), Scotia (4012441), Seven Lakes Basin (4112224), Sherwood Peak (3912355), Siligo Peak (4012288), Sonoma (3812234), Sportshaven (4012344), Taylor Peak (4012442), Tombstone Mtn. (4112213), Trinity Center (4012286), Trinity Dam (4012277), Ukiah (3912322), Weitchpec (4112326), Weott (4012338), Westport (3912367), Whisky Bill Peak (4112215), Wildwood (4012341), Ycatapom Peak (4112217), Yorkville (3812382)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	0
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	0	0 %

Notes



Increasingly rare in southern portion of range.
Threats:
Threatened by urbanization, horticultural collecting, logging, road construction and maintenance, non-native plants, and grazing.
Taxonomy:

Selected References

Proceedings of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences 14:256 (1879)

Lilium rubescens profile for potential Species of Conservation Concern evaluation (2018)

USFS Potential Species of Conservation Concern Profile

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 27 January 2025].

Taxon Report

Lilium rubescens Wats.

redwood lily