About Lilium columbianum Leichtlin
Lilium columbianum is a perennial herb that reaches a maximum height of 1.2 metres (3.9 ft). It produces anywhere from a few to many orange flowers marked with darker spots. The tepals of the flower are 3 to 6 centimetres long, and the flowers carry a light scent. Like many true lilies, its leaves grow in whorls arranged around the plant's stem. This lily grows in lowland and montane forest openings and meadows, ranging from southern British Columbia in Canada south to northern California, and east to Montana in the northwestern United States. Most populations grow below 2,000 m (6,600 ft), and the plant typically blooms from June through early August. A small number of isolated populations can be found at high elevations in the Sierra Nevada, as far south as Fresno County. Coast Salish, Nuu-chah-nulth, and most Indigenous peoples of western Washington traditionally cooked the bulbs of this lily by steaming, boiling, or pit-cooking. The bulbs have a bitter or peppery taste, and were mainly used as a flavoring, most often added to soup prepared with meat or fish.
