Plant · GBIF taxon 2753079
fire lily
Lilium bulbiferumAlso known as Orange Lily, Jimmy's Bane, Tiger Lily, St. John's Lily
Fire lilies illuminate European mountain meadows and rocky slopes with their upright, star-shaped blossoms of brilliant orange and red. Uniquely, these plants produce small, dark bulbils in the axils of their upper leaves, which drop to the ground to clone the parent plant. They rely on large butterflies and bees for pollination, standing out as vibrant beacons in alpine grasslands.
AlpineFloweringPerennial
- diet
- Autotrophic (Photosynthesis)
- family
- Liliaceae
- threats
- Habitat loss, over-collection, and grazing by wild herbivores
- life Span
- Perennial (bulbs can live for decades)
LC
Highly toxic to cats; wild plants have toxic look-alikes, so never ingest.
Contains compounds that cause severe, potentially fatal kidney failure in cats, even in tiny amounts.
Keep domestic pets away from the plant, and wash hands after handling the foliage or pollen.- Look for bulbils: Check the leaf joints along the stem for tiny, dark, bead-like bulbils.
- Watch for pollinators: Observe the flowers on sunny days to spot visiting swallowtail butterflies.
- Check the leaves: Inspect the foliage for the bright red lily beetle, a common pest.