Splendor in the Spring

Imagine paddling down the Cahaba River in the early morning sunlight as the mist rises off the water. Paddling around a bend, you notice a blanket of white. As you get closer, this blanket transforms into thousands of white Cahaba lilies. This scene is what one could expect to see paddling the Cahaba River in mid-May.

The Cahaba Lily (Hymenocallis coronaria) is one of many species found in the Amaryllis family or spider lily family. Spider lilies are found throughout the Southeastern United States. Three species of spider lilies are found in Alabama: the northern spider lily (Hymenocallis occidentalis), Choctaw spider lily (Hymenocallis choctawensis), and the Cahaba lily. All three of these lilies are very similar in appearance and easily mistaken for one another.

Location and Habitat

The Cahaba lily is also known as the “shoal spider lily,” “rocky shoal spider lily,” or just “shoal lily” outside of Alabama. The lily grows along small streams and rivers that drain off the Fall Line of Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina. The Fall Line is the transition from the Appalachian Highlands to the Coastal Plain where the last waterfalls and shoals occur.

Cahaba lilies live in specialized habitats; they only occur in open well-lit rocky shoals of streams and rivers. Other requirements the lilies have are swift-moving and well-oxygenated water free of pollution and sediments. The primary pollinator of the lily is a nighttime visitor known as the plebian sphinx moth. The moth is attracted to the lily by the fragrance of the flower and the sugary reward it offers. Once seeds are produced, they drop into the water and sink to the bottom where they are wedged into rock and grow to become new plants.

The northern spider lily and the Choctaw spider lily look similar to the Cahaba lily but differ in subtle physical features. The most obvious difference between these lilies and the Cahaba lily is the difference in habitat. The northern spider lily occurs throughout the northern half of the state, where it is most commonly found in alluvial woods along rivers and streams growing in saturated soils or mucky swamps. Northern spider lilies also occur along upland woods mostly along cool wet drainages. Unlike the Cahaba lily, the northern spider lily does not need to be inundated all the time to survive; it is perfectly at home growing in moist soils. The Choctaw spider lily is the southern counterpart to the northern spider lily. This lily is commonly found growing in the mucky areas and alluvial forest of the Mobile-Tensaw Delta and other related places in the southern portion of the state.

Another difference between Cahaba lilies and northern spider lilies is the blooming period. Northern spider lilies usually bloom in mid to late summer, much later than Cahaba lilies. The Cahaba lilies initiate blooming in mid-May and usually finish by the first of June. Choctaw spider lilies bloom in the spring – as do Cahaba lilies – but they do not grow in rocky shoals.

Historically, the Cahaba lily occurred along many of the Fall Line creeks and rivers, but due to dam construction and impounding rivers, they occur today in only a few creeks and rivers in the state. In Alabama, the largest population of Cahaba lilies can still be seen along the Cahaba River just south of Birmingham and just north of Centreville. Smaller populations of lilies occur along tributaries of the Coosa, Tallapoosa and Black Warrior rivers.

Threats to the Cahaba lily include damming and channelization of creeks and rivers, which destroy the unique shoal habitats of the lily. Gathering of plants by unscrupulous collectors has had negative impacts on the lilies along the Cahaba River. The single most detrimental effect on the lilies is sedimentation from runoff of nonpoint source pollution. Sediments and pollution originate from upland areas away from the river. With no buffer vegetation along the river to filter out these harmful pollutants, they are transported into the rivers and streams. Sediments then collect in the shoals, thereby creating a layer of dirt that forms small islands allowing competing vegetation to push out the lilies.

Celebrating the Cahaba Lily

For 14 years, thousands of people have converged on a small section of the Cahaba River to view the blooming of the Cahaba lily. It is a cathartic moment for many who travel great distances every spring to see the lilies.

The Cahaba Lily Festival is an annual event celebrated every year in the town of West Blocton. The festival offers tours of the lily shoals and presentations celebrating the wonders of the Cahaba River. Groups like the Cahaba River Society regularly schedule canoe trips for their members. The Cahaba River Society is interested in preserving this beautiful flower and the Cahaba River so that all the people of the state may enjoy one of our most scenic areas. You may wish to join this group and celebrate the beauty of the Cahaba lily or to take a walking tour from the shore along the Cahaba National Wildlife Refuge from Piper Bridge just west of the town of West Blocton.

The Cahaba lily is best enjoyed in its natural habitat. Unknowing lily lovers may collect the lilies to plant in their gardens not knowing that this will eventually lead to the plant’s death. People who are interested in having Cahaba-like lilies should consider the northern spider lily, which can be purchased from reputable nurseries. Anyone who has seen the Cahaba lily in bloom would agree that this is one of Alabama's wonderful natural treasures.

For More Information

Cahaba River Society
2717 7th Avenue South, Suite. 205
Birmingham, Alabama 35233
205-322-5326
www.cahabariversociety.org

The Bibb County Chamber of Commerce
205-926-5222

Directions to see the Cahaba Lilies

1. Take I-59 south from Birmingham for about 30 miles to the Hwy. 5 West Blocton/Centreville Exit.
2. Hwy. 5/Hwy. 11 is 4-lane for about 3 miles where Hwy. 5 turns abruptly south as a 2-lane. Watch for this turn!
3. Travel 10 miles south on Hwy. 5 to a blinking yellow light. Turn left onto County Road 24 to West Blocton.
4. Continue straight at the stop sign (passing West Blocton High School and West Blocton Elementary on the right) for 5 miles to the Cahaba River.
5. A couple of hundred yards before you can actually see the bridge, turn south (right) on a rough dirt road that runs along the west side of the river. Use your judgment about whether your vehicle can negotiate the road.
6. There is a good stand of lilies just under 1 mile down the road, and the largest stand in the world just over 2 miles down the road.

Please do not pick the lilies or remove the bulbs for transplantation. The plant might survive 1–2 years out of its proper habitat, but the prospect for long-term survival is slim. Besides, the most beautiful place to see the Cahaba lily is in its natural habitat.

The Year Of Outdoor Alabama
©2006 Alabama Bureau of Tourism & Travel - Official Web Site
©2006 Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources - Official Web Site