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Erythronium citrinum

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

pilot ridge fawn lily, Taylor's fawn-lily

Bulbs

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

narrowly ovoid, 40–70 mm, often forming sessile offsets.

Leaves

9–15 cm;

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

18–35 cm;

blade green, elliptic to oblanceolate, margins wavy.

Scape

12–35 cm.

25–40 cm.

Inflorescences

1–3-flowered.

1–4(–8)-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 white, proximal 1/2–2/3 bright yellow, becoming pinkish in age, lanceolate, 25–45 mm, inner auriculate at base;

stamens 10–16 mm;

filaments yellow, slender;

anthers cream colored;

style white to cream, 9–11 mm;

stigma ± unlobed or with lobes shorter than 1 mm.

Capsules

obovoid, 2–5 cm.

obovoid, 2–4 cm.

2n

= 24.

Erythronium citrinum

Erythronium taylorii

Phenology Flowering spring (Mar–May). Flowering spring (Apr–May).
Habitat Dry woods, brushy slopes, common on serpentine substrates Forest openings, rocky ledges
Elevation 100–1300 (–1800) m (300–4300 (–5900) ft) 1300–1400 m (4300–4600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; OR
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA
[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.)

Erythronium taylorii is known only from Tuolumne County in the central Sierra Nevada.

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

Source FNA vol. 26, p. 160. FNA vol. 26, p. 159.
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. 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. tuolumnense, E. umbilicatum
Synonyms E. citrinum var. roderickii, E. howellii
Name authority S. Watson: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 22: 480. (1887) Shevock & G. A. Allen: Madroño 44: 360, fig. 1. (1998)
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