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Erythronium citrinum

citrus fawn lily, cream fawn lily, lemon color fawn lily, lemon fawn lily, pale fawn-lily

American trout-lily, dogtooth violet, trout lily, yellow trout-lily, érythrone d'amérique

Bulbs

slender, 40–50 mm, sometimes producing sessile offsets.

ovoid, 15–28 mm;

stolons 1–3, common, mostly on 1-leaved, nonflowering plants.

Leaves

9–15 cm;

blade mottled with irregular streaks of brown or white, lanceolate to narrowly ovate, margins ± wavy.

8–23 cm;

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

Scape

12–35 cm.

10–18 cm.

Inflorescences

1–3-flowered.

1-flowered.

Flowers

tepals ± white, often pinkish, usually pale yellow at base, lanceolate to narrowly elliptic, 25–45 mm, inner with or without small auricles at base;

stamens 11–17 mm;

filaments linear, white or pinkish, slender, less than 0.8 mm wide;

anthers white, cream, pink, reddish, or brownish red;

style straight, white or pink, 6–10 mm;

stigma unlobed or with lobes shorter than 1 mm.

tepals yellow, sometimes tinged light to dark purple-red abaxially, sometimes with reddish dots adaxially, strongly reflexed at anthesis, lanceolate, 20–33 mm, inner with small auricles;

stamens 9–15 mm;

filaments yellow, lanceolate;

anthers yellow, chestnut brown, or lavender;

pollen yellow or brown;

style deciduous or base forming small apiculum, greenish yellow, 5–11 mm, swollen distally or ± terete;

stigma lobes erect or recurved, 1.5 mm.

Capsules

obovoid, 2–5 cm.

held erect or at least off ground at maturity, obovoid, 12–15 mm, apex rounded, truncate, or apiculate.

2n

= 24.

= 48.

Erythronium citrinum

Erythronium americanum

Phenology Flowering spring (Mar–May).
Habitat Dry woods, brushy slopes, common on serpentine substrates
Elevation 100–1300 (–1800) m (300–4300 (–5900) ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; OR
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from USDA
e North America
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Plants lacking auricles on inner tepals are sometimes segregated as Erythronium howellii, Howell’s fawn-lily, but they do not appear to differ from typical E. citrinum in any other characters. Erythronium citrinum intergrades with E. californicum and E. hendersonii, occasional populations or individuals displaying intermediate or recombined characteristics. Such plants from the upper Scott River drainage in Trinity County, California, which may be the result of introgression with E. hendersonii, have been recognized as variety roderickii.

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

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

Erythronium americanum is a very common and widespread species, particularly in northeastern North America, becoming less frequent towards the southern and western limits of its range. Nonflowering plants far outnumber flowering ones in most populations because of their extensive stolon production. Plants with brown anthers have been called forma castaneum L. B. Smith.

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

Key
1. Capsule apex rounded, truncate, or short-apiculate; stigma lobes erect, not grooved; widespread in ne United States
subsp. americanum
1. Capsule apex distinctly apiculate; stigma lobes recurved, grooved distally; n Alabama, Georgia, ne Mississippi, Tennessee
subsp. harperi
Source FNA vol. 26, p. 160. FNA vol. 26, p. 161.
Parent taxa Liliaceae > Erythronium Liliaceae > Erythronium
Sibling taxa
E. albidum, E. americanum, E. californicum, 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. albidum, 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
Subordinate taxa
E. americanum subsp. americanum, E. americanum subsp. harperi
Synonyms E. citrinum var. roderickii, E. howellii
Name authority S. Watson: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 22: 480. (1887) Ker Gawler: Bot. Mag. 28: plate 1113. (1808)
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