Lilium humboldtii ssp. ocellatum

Spotted Humboldt’s Lily is one of two recognized subspecies of Lilium humboldtii. This is a rare native perennial herb that grows from Santa Barbara County to San Diego County, on some of the Channel Islands, and in northern Baja. Due to its limited distribution it is included on CNPS list 4.2. This subspecies was previously known as L.h. ssp. bloomerianum, and some sources may still refer to it by that name. It tends to grow in dry shade at elevations from near sea level to 5,500 feet. The large and showy flowers are golden-orange with dark red or maroon splotches and orange to brown stamens. The plant flowers in June, with flowers growing in a pyramidal flower cluster. The flowers are on stout stems, which are sometimes brown-purple. The subrhizomatous bulb is large, with yellowish-white scales, and grows very deep in the soil. The leaves grow in whorls, and are undulate, shiny, and oblance-shaped. It is summer-deciduous, dying back after flowering in mid- to late summer, and it should be allowed to go dry at that time. In winter it will do well with minimal supplemental water unless it is an especially dry winter.