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Erythronium elegans

Coast Range fawn lily, elegant fawn-lily

California fawn-lily

Bulbs

slender, 30–50 mm.

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

Leaves

7–20 cm;

blade green or faintly mottled with brown or white, narrowly ovate, margins often wavy.

7–18 cm;

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

Scape

10–30 cm.

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

Inflorescences

1–2(–4)-flowered.

1–3-flowered.

Flowers

tepals: inner ± white, outer ± white and tinged (often strongly) with pink, especially abaxially and along midline, becoming more generally pinkish with age, both inner and outer with yellow band at base, lanceolate to narrowly elliptic, 20–40 mm, abaxial surfaces and outer tepals often darker, inner auriculate at base;

stamens 13–22 mm;

filaments white, flattened, slightly widened, linear to lanceolate, 0.8–2 mm wide;

anthers yellow;

style white, 10–20 mm;

stigma with slender, usually recurved lobes 2–4 mm.

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.

Capsules

obovoid to oblong, 2–5 cm.

obovoid, 3–6 cm.

2n

= 48.

= 24.

Erythronium elegans

Erythronium californicum

Phenology Flowering late spring (May–Jun). Flowering spring (Mar–Apr).
Habitat Meadows and open coniferous forests Dry woods, openings, cliffs
Elevation 800–1000 m (2600–3300 ft) 0–1900 m (0–6200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
OR
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Of conservation concern.

This species is endemic to the Coast Ranges of western Oregon.

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

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

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

Source FNA vol. 26, p. 157. FNA vol. 26, p. 160.
Parent taxa Liliaceae > Erythronium Liliaceae > Erythronium
Sibling taxa
E. albidum, E. americanum, E. californicum, E. citrinum, 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. 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 P. C. Hammond & K. L. Chambers: Madroño 32: 49, fig. 1. (1985) Purdy: Fl. & Sylva 2: 253. (1904)
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