Cahaba lily

The Cahaba lily (Hymenocallis coronaria) is an aquatic flowering plant native to the major river systems of Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina. A type of spiderlily belonging to the amaryllis family, the Cahaba lily is noted for the striking beauty of its three-inch-wide white flowers. The lily requires a very specialized habitat—swift-flowing water over rocks […]

I checked another one off the Bucket List yesterday. I finally got my feet( knees) wet in the shoals of the Cahaba River. Staying on my feet was a feat in itself, but thanks to many helping hands, I managed to capture a few photos of the infamous Cahaba Lily! ( Hymenocallis coroniaria) These lovelies only thrive in shoals with an open canopy and moving water and bloom from May - June. A special thank you to Independent Presbyterian Church's Highland Avenue Forum for sponsoring Dr. Larry…

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Cahaba Lilies

Cahaba or “shoal” lilies appear from Mother’s Day to Father’s Day in Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina

Cahaba Lilies - Cahaba Lilies One of the most iconic plants of the Cahaba River is the Cahaba lily, an aquatic flowering plant which grows only in Alabama, Georgia, and

Cahaba Lily. Photo: Ross Callaway

River’s star attraction is in full bloom this spring.

Alabama is filled with natural beauty, and there’s probably nothing more beautiful than the arrival of the Cahaba lilies each spring. The plant is super rare (more about that later) and even more gorgeous. In fact, when Naturalist William Bartram viewed the lilies before the Revolutionary War, he wrote, “nothing in vegetable nature was more …