Yellow Hedysarum vs Wood Lily - TreeTime.ca

Yellow Hedysarum vs Wood Lily

Hedysarum sulphurescens

Lilium philadelphicum

CUSTOM GROW

CUSTOM GROW

Yellow Hedysarum
Wood Lily

Yellow Hedysarum is a native perennial wildflower recognised for its clusters of bright yellow pea-like blooms. It adds colour to grasslands, roadsides, and open woods. It is also a nitrogen fixer, which helps improve soil fertility. Because of its deep root system, it contributes to slope and soil stabilisation.

The plant provides forage for wildlife and cover for small animals, especially its roots. Its flowers attract pollinators such as bees.

Yellow Hedysarum plays an important role in prairie and foothill ecosystems. It is well-suited for ecological restoration, naturalisation, pollinator gardens, and erosion control projects.

Wood Lily is a native perennial wildflower known for its vibrant, trumpet-shaped blooms in shades of orange to red. Its showy flowers appear mid-summer and are highly visible in meadows and prairies. The upward-facing flowers are an important nectar source for many pollinators, including native bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.
Unlike most lilies, the Wood Lily’s flowers face upward rather than nodding. It is slow to establish and may take years before flowering, but once mature, it requires little maintenance. It is well-suited for pollinator gardens, naturalisation projects, prairie restoration, and open woodland plantings.
Wood Lily is the provincial flower of Saskatchewan and North America’s most widespread lily. Despite its wide natural range, populations have been declining. Habitat loss, overgrazing by deer, and unsustainable picking have reduced both its abundance and density across many regions. These pressures highlight the importance of protecting and restoring this once-common wildflower.

Yellow Hedysarum Quick Facts

Wood Lily Quick Facts

Zone: 2b
Zone: 2b
Height: 0.5 m (1.5 ft)
Height: 0.6 m (2.0 ft)
Spread: 0.2 m (0.8 ft)
Spread: 0.3 m (1.0 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: dry, normal
Moisture: normal, wet
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: medium
Life span: short
Life span: short
Growth form: ascending to upright
Growth form: upright
Spreading: seeds - low
Spreading: seeds - low


Toxicity: toxic to cats
Flowers: creamy yellow, in dense spikes
Flowers: bright orange to red with dark spots
Bloom time: late spring to summer
Bloom time: early to mid summer
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC
Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC
Other Names: sulphur hedysarum, sulphur sweet-vetch, yellow sweet-vetch
Other Names: prairie wood lily, red lily, red wood lily