Hastingsia alba
Reed lily
(c) Tom Hilton, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Agavaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Hastingsia alba (Reed lily) is a native California herb in the Agavaceae family, recognized by clear morphological differences in inflorescence branching and flower size.
Reed lily is a California native perennial found in northwestern California, the Cascade Range, and northern Sierra Nevada Mountains in wet meadows, bogs, and rocky seeps at elevations of 500 to 2,300 meters. Flowering from June to July, this plant produces white to pale yellow flowers in dense clusters with 2 to 3 branches. Growing with a bulb 26 to 56 millimeters long and upright stems, it forms compact clumps in moist habitats. Its flowers feature distinctive perianth parts that elongate as the anthers mature, with outer segments about 1 millimeter wide and inner segments approximately 2 millimeters wide. The fruit is an oblong capsule 6 to 9 millimeters long.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 1 sympatric species; clear morphological differences in inflorescence branching and flower size
Habitat and range
Habitat: Wet meadows, bogs, rocky seeps
Elevation: 500-2300 m
California counties: Siskiyou, Del Norte, Plumas, Butte, Lake, Humboldt, Shasta, Trinity, Mendocino, Nevada, Sierra, Tehama, Lassen, Yuba, San Diego
Outside California: southwestern Oregon
Bloom period
Hastingsia alba blooms Jun-Jul.
How to tell it apart
vs Agave: Hastingsia has thin flexible leaves; agave has thick rigid succulent leaves.; vs Hesperoyucca: Hastingsia grows in wet meadows with flexible leaves; hesperoyucca has stiff sword-leaves in deserts.; vs Yucca: Hastingsia has thin flexible leaves in bogs; yucca has rigid sharp-pointed leaves in dry areas.; vs Leucocrinum: Hastingsia has flowers on tall stalks above leaves; sand lily flowers sit at ground level.; vs Hesperocallis: Hastingsia has tiny flowers in spikes in wet areas; desert lily has large flowers in dry habitats.
Frequently asked questions
Is Hastingsia alba native to California?
Yes. Hastingsia alba is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Hastingsia alba bloom?
Hastingsia alba blooms Jun-Jul.
Where in California does Hastingsia alba grow?
Hastingsia alba occurs in Siskiyou, Del Norte, Plumas, Butte, Lake, Humboldt, Shasta, Trinity and other counties, at elevations of 500-2300 m.
What plant family does Hastingsia alba belong to?
Hastingsia alba is in the Agavaceae family, genus Hastingsia.
What habitat does Hastingsia alba grow in?
Hastingsia alba grows in Wet meadows, bogs, rocky seeps.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.