FNPS Plant Database

Lilium catesbaei

pine lily
  • Photo by: Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter FNPS
  • Photo by: John Bradford, Martin County Chapter FNPS
  • Photo by: Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter FNPS
  • Photo by: Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter FNPS
  • Photo by: Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter FNPS

Nomenclature

Common Name:

pine lily

Synonym(s):

Genus species:

Lilium catesbaei

Family:

Liliaceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

Flower

Size:

1–2 ft tall by .5 ft wide

Life Span:

Long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

red

Fruit Color:

Phenology:

Winter dormant

Noted For:

Showy Flowers

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Retain if present. Could be grown as a small specimen plant in a wildflower garden.

Considerations:

Rarely grown as difficult to find seeds or bulbs and seedlings are subject to fungal diseases.

Availability:

Native Nurseries, Seed

Propagation:

Division of bulbs. Seed.

Light:

Full Sun, Part Sun

Moisture Tolerance:

Always Flooded---------------------------------Extremely Dry

□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□■■■■■■■■■■■■□□□□□□□□□□□□

Somewhat moist, no flooding -to- Not wet but not extremely dry

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Unknown

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray

Soil or Other Substrate:

Sand

Soil pH:

Acidic

Suitable to Grow In:

8A,8B,9A,9B,10A,10B

USDA zones are based on the average annual extreme minimum winter temperature.

Don't know your zone? Click here to search by zip code.

Vouchered In:

Distribution
Vouchered
Not vouchered
Selected
Click a county The county name will appear here.
No county distribution is available for this plant yet.
Starting…
Map coded by Melissa Fernandez-de Cespedes (Paynes Prairie Chapter)

Ecology

Wildlife:

Butterflies

Attracts butterflies including swallowtails. Reported possible pollinators include spicebush swallowwtail, cloudless sulfur (Phoebis sennae), Palamedes, eastern black swallowtail, and Florida dust skipper and green lynx spider (Coastal Plain Plants Wiki).

Native Habitats:

Mesic flatwoods, wet prairie, wet flatwoods, open seepage areas such as cutthroat seeps

Natural Range in Florida:

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

General Comments:

In the natural environment, this species benefits from periodic fire. Very difficult to see except when in bloom.
FNPS Plant Print

Citations:

Huegel, Craig N. (2012). Native Wildflowers and Other Ground Covers for Florida Landscapes. University Press of Florida, Gainesville, FL.


Rogers, George. (2011). Catesby's Lily. Treasure Coast Natives. ( https://treasurecoastnatives.wordpress.com/category/catesbys-lily/ ). Accessed 2026.


Wunderlin, R. P, B. F. Hansen, A. R. Franck, and F. B. Essig. (1999+). Atlas of Florida Plants. ( https://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/ ). [S. M. Landry and K. N. Campbell (application development), USF Water Institute.] Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL.

Request an update