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Erythronium citrinum

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

dogtooth fawn lily, glacier-lily, yellow avalanche-lily, yellow fawn-lily, yellow glacier lily

Bulbs

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

slender, 30–50 mm.

Leaves

9–15 cm;

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

5–20 cm;

blade green, lanceolate, ± glaucous, base gradually narrowed to petiole, margins ± wavy.

Scape

12–35 cm.

5–30 cm.

Inflorescences

1–3-flowered.

usually 1-flowered, sometimes up to 5-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 recurved, bright yellow with (in live specimens) narrow paler zone at base, or white to creamy white with yellow base, narrowly ovate, 20–35 mm, length at least 4 times width, inner usually auriculate at base;

stamens 11–18 mm;

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

anthers cream, yellow, red, or purplish red;

pollen yellow or red;

style white, 10–15 mm;

stigma unlobed or with slender, recurved lobes (1–)2–4 mm.

Capsules

obovoid, 2–5 cm.

oblong to narrowly obovoid, 2–5 cm.

2n

= 24.

= 24.

Erythronium citrinum

Erythronium grandiflorum

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
w 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.)

Subspecies 2 (2 in the flora).

This beautiful species is often very abundant in mountain meadows of western North America, especially in the Rocky Mountains, where it may form spectacular displays. It is often difficult to grow in cultivation outside its preferred habitats. Bulbs of this species were a staple food for native North American peoples of several tribes, and were eaten in large quantities and also traded. Within the typical subspecies, both anthers and pollen vary considerably in color; plants with pale anthers have been called var. pallidum, and forms with yellow anthers, var. chrysandrum. Plants possessing very short stigma lobes and lacking auricles on the tepals have been recognized as var. nudipetalum, but they do not appear sufficiently distinct to warrant taxonomic recognition and may simply represent depauperate forms.

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

Key
1. Tepals white to creamy white, with yellow zone at base; anthers cream to yellow.
subsp. candidum
1. Tepals bright yellow, with narrow paler zone at base; anthers cream, yellow, red, or purplish red.
subsp. grandiflorum
Source FNA vol. 26, p. 160. FNA vol. 26, p. 156.
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. americanum, E. californicum, E. citrinum, E. elegans, 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. grandiflorum subsp. candidum, E. grandiflorum subsp. grandiflorum
Synonyms E. citrinum var. roderickii, E. howellii
Name authority S. Watson: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 22: 480. (1887) Pursh: Fl. Amer. Sept. 1: 231. (1814)
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