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California fawn-lily

white fawnlily, white trout-lily

Bulbs

ovoid, 35–60 mm, sometimes producing sessile offsets.

ovoid, 15–30 mm;

stolons 1–3, mostly on 1-leaved, nonflowering plants; flowering plants reproducing vegetatively by offshoots or droppers.

Leaves

7–18 cm;

blade distinctly mottled with irregular streaks of brown or white, oblong to narrowly ovate, margins usually wavy.

8–22 cm;

blade green, irregularly mottled, elliptic-lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate or elliptic, ± flat, glaucous, margins entire.

Scape

± reddish, branched well above leaves when flowers more than 1, 10–30 cm.

7–20 cm.

Inflorescences

1–3-flowered.

1-flowered.

Flowers

flowering individuals generally abundant in populations;

tepals white to cream, base yellow and often banded with brown or red, ± narrowly ovate, 25–40 mm, inner with small auricles at base;

stamens 12–25 mm;

filaments ± white, linear, slender, less than 0.8 mm wide;

anthers white to cream;

style ± white, 10–14 mm;

stigma unlobed or with lobes less than 2 mm.

tepals strongly reflexed at anthesis, white, tinged pink, blue, or lavender abaxially, with yellow adaxial spot at base, lanceolate, 22–40 mm, auricles absent;

stamens 10–20 mm;

filaments yellow, lanceolate;

anthers yellow;

pollen yellow;

style white, 15–25 mm;

stigma lobes recurving, 1.5 mm.

Capsules

obovoid, 3–6 cm.

held erect at maturity, obovoid, 10–22 mm, apex rounded to faintly apiculate or umbilicate.

2n

= 24.

= 44.

Erythronium californicum

Erythronium albidum

Phenology Flowering spring (Mar–Apr). Flowering spring.
Habitat Dry woods, openings, cliffs Mesic bottomlands, upland forests, woodlands, clay and silt bottomlands, floodplain forests
Elevation 0–1900 m (0–6200 ft) 0–300 m (0–1000 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; AR; GA; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MD; MI; MN; MO; MS; NE; NJ; NY; OH; OK; PA; SD; TN; TX; VA; WI; WV; ON
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[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Forms intermediate with Erythronium citrinum and E. multiscapideum are sometimes seen where ranges overlap.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Erythronium albidum often forms extensive colonies in which nonflowering, 1-leaved plants far outnumber flowering, 2-leaved ones. It is very widespread in eastern North America, more common in the central states than E. americanum and often occurs in slightly drier sites.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 26, p. 160. FNA vol. 26, p. 163.
Parent taxa Liliaceae > Erythronium Liliaceae > Erythronium
Sibling taxa
E. albidum, E. americanum, E. citrinum, E. elegans, E. grandiflorum, E. helenae, E. hendersonii, E. klamathense, E. mesochoreum, E. montanum, E. multiscapideum, E. oregonum, E. pluriflorum, E. propullans, E. purpurascens, E. pusaterii, E. quinaultense, E. revolutum, E. rostratum, E. taylorii, E. tuolumnense, E. umbilicatum
E. americanum, E. californicum, E. citrinum, E. elegans, E. grandiflorum, E. helenae, E. hendersonii, E. klamathense, E. mesochoreum, E. montanum, E. multiscapideum, E. oregonum, E. pluriflorum, E. propullans, E. purpurascens, E. pusaterii, E. quinaultense, E. revolutum, E. rostratum, E. taylorii, E. tuolumnense, E. umbilicatum
Name authority Purdy: Fl. & Sylva 2: 253. (1904) Nuttall: Gen. N. Amer. Pl. 1: 223. (1818)
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