Torrey's Craglily

I found this flowering Torrey's Craglily (Echeandia flavescens) in Madera Canyon here in Arizona this last August. These plants are fairly common there in grassy areas.

Torrey's Craglily (Echeandia flavescens) flowers

Torrey's Craglily was formerly known as Torrey's Crag Lily (Anthericum torreyi), but it has since been renamed and reclassified. This native perennial is a true lily, a member of the Lily Family (Liliaceae). Torrey's Craglily can be found growing in Southwestern coniferous forests, and it blooms from late summer to early fall.

The yellow-orange flowers appear to have 6 petals, but they really have only 3 broad petals and 3 narrower sepals the same color as the petals. The leafless flower stalks emerge from the green, grasslike, basal leaves.

Torrey's Craglily (Echeandia flavescens)

With their grasslike leaves, these plants are difficult to see amidst the grass unless they are blooming.