Family: Liliaceae, Lily view all from this family

Description Highly poisonous lily bearing pointed spike of white to cream flowers amidst long, grasslike leaves.
Flowers: 1/2" (12 mm), cup-shaped; 6 petals (3 long, 3 short), with round, green spot near base of each petal; in dense, conical, 6" (15 cm) clusters.
Leaves: mostly basal, linear, 10-16" (25-40 cm); smaller up stem.
Height: to 28" (70 cm).

Warning Plants in the genus Zigadenus can be highly toxic, sometimes fatally, to humans and animals if eaten, and this is one of the most toxic plants of the genus. Humans have been poisoned after eating the bulbs (mistaking them for edible camas lily bulbs), livestock after browsing plants, and honeybees are sometimes killed by the pollen and nectar. Sensitivity to a toxin varies with a person's age, weight, physical condition, and individual susceptibility. Children are most vulnerable because of their curiosity and small size. Toxicity can vary in a plant according to season, the plant's different parts, and its stage of growth; and plants can absorb toxic substances, such as herbicides, pesticides, and pollutants from the water, air, and soil.

Flower April-July.

Habitat Dry clearings, meadows, grasslands, sagebrush steppes, low-elevation open woodlands.

Range Western North America, from British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan south to central California, Nevada, and Colorado; east to western Dakotas and Nebraska.

Discussion Zigadenus species are sometimes sold in nurseries. These are pretty lilies but extreme caution should be taken to assure that no parts of the plants are consumed by humans or animals.