Michigan Lily

Michigan Lily

Lilium michiganense

Plant Type
Forb (Deciduous)
Landscape Layer
Herbaceous
Sun
☀️ Full Sun, ⛅ Part Sun, ☁️ Shade
Moisture
💧 Regular, 💧💧 High
Soil
Loam, Sand, Rocky / Acidic, Organic / Peat, Calcareous
Bloom
June, July, August
Sociability
S2 – Small groups

Ecology & Conservation

Proximity Score
0
Native Status
❌ Outaouais ❌ Ottawa ❌ QC ✅ ON
Closest Direction
Local
CEC Eco-Regions
5 – Northern Forests, 5.2 – Mixed Wood Shield, 5.2.3 – Algonquin/Southern Laurentians
Rarity Notes
Globally secure (G5) with a Canadian national rank of N4. Ranked S4 (Apparently Secure) in Ontario, its only Canadian province of occurrence. Not listed under SARA or COSEWIC. Range extends from southern Ontario through the upper Midwest and south to the Gulf states.

S22+S26+S1

Rarity Ranks
ON S4 – Apparently Secure
Migration
Stable
Ecological Context
Michigan lily inhabits wet meadows, moist thickets, stream borders, and floodplain forests in the Great Lakes and upper Mississippi valley regions. In Ontario it occurs primarily in the Mixed Wood Plains, frequenting low-ground habitats with rich, moist soils alongside species such as Sambucus canadensis, Lobelia cardinalis, and Calamagrostis canadensis.

S7+S4+S3+S48

Permaculture & Companion Planting

Roles
Pollinator Attractor

S73/S29/S72 Evidence: Pollinator Attractor: S73 [MEDIUM]: S68 4 bee associations (threshold=3)]

Notes
Pairs well with other moisture-loving native perennials in wet meadow and streamside plantings. S46 recommends Turtlehead and Joe-Pye Weed as companions for pond and stream margins. S3 lists five complementary species sharing similar moisture and light requirements, all suited to medium-wet habitats in the Mixed Wood Plains ecozone.

S46+S3

Edibility & Foraging

Never ingest a plant unless you have 100% certainty of its identity and have consulted multiple reputable sources. The information provided in the Localeaf Plant Database is compiled from secondary sources for educational and historical purposes only.

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❌ Not Edible   

Toxicity
☠️ High Toxicity

Not listed in the Cornell poisonous plants database. OWSL notes toxicity fatal to cats, consistent with the well-documented Lilium genus toxicity to felines (nephrotoxic). S3 also notes the plant may cause skin rashes in humans upon contact. No significant toxicity concerns for humans, horses, or livestock are documented.

S38+S3

Seed Source

  • Master Gardener
Michigan Lily