Last updated Dec. 19, 2004

Wild Easter Lily

Named "Easter" lily by Colonial Era settlers, Zephyranthes atamasco blooms from March until May.

Also often called "rain lily", or "Atamasco lily", this native flower is found in sunny, moist, wild areas from the coast to the mountains.

Flowers are usually white with a pale pink cast that takes on more red as the flower matures. The name "Atamasco" means "red".

The plants stand 8 to 15 inches tall, with thick, grooved, grass-like leaves.

The wild Easter lily has been observed, usually in colonies of plants, from Virginia to Florida and west to Texas.

Zephyranthes atamasca grows from a poisonous underground bulb. There are accounts of horses being laid low as a result of grazing on the plants leaves and bulbs.

Taxonomic Classification

• Superdivision: Spermatophyta (seed plants)
• Division: Magnoliophyta (angiospermes, angiosperms, flowering plants)
• Class: Liliopsida (Monocotyledons)
• Subclass: Liliidae
• Order: Liliales
• Family: Liliaceae (lily family)
• Genus: Zephyranthes Herbert
• Species: Zephyranthes atamasca (L.) Herbert (Atamasco lily)

References

U.S. Department of Agriculture Plants Database Atamasco lily profile.

Integrated Taxonomic Information System (a multi-national partnership) Zephyranthes atamasca report.