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Erythronium hendersonii

Henderson's fawn-lily

Sierra fawn-lily, Sierra foothills fawn-lily

Bulbs

slender, 40–55 mm.

ovoid, 20–50 mm, producing bulbels (usually 1–3 per parent bulb) at ends of long, slender stolons.

Leaves

10–25 cm;

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

4–16 cm;

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

Scape

reddish, 12–30 cm.

8–23 cm, branching just above leaves near ground level when flowers more than 1.

Inflorescences

1–4-flowered.

1–4-flowered.

Flowers

tepals violet to pink, darker at tips, dark purple at base, broadly lanceolate, 18–35 mm, inner with small auricles at base;

stamens 10–14 mm;

filaments violet-purple, linear, slender, less than 0.8 mm wide;

anthers pale brown to purple;

style violet, 6–8 mm;

stigma unlobed or with lobes shorter than 1 mm.

flowering individuals generally uncommon in populations, most plants 1-leaved and vegetative;

tepals white to cream with yellow base, broadly lanceolate to elliptic, 16–40 mm, inner with small auricles at base;

stamens 10–15 mm;

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

anthers white to cream;

style white, 10–13 mm;

stigma unlobed or with recurved lobes 1–4 mm.

Capsules

obovoid, 2–4 cm.

obovoid, 2–5 cm.

2n

= 24.

= 24.

Erythronium hendersonii

Erythronium multiscapideum

Phenology Flowering spring (Mar–Apr). Flowering spring (Mar–Apr).
Habitat Dry woods and forest openings Open woods, brushy slopes, sometimes on serpentines
Elevation 300–1600 m (1000–5200 ft) 400–1000 m (1300–3300 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; OR
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
Discussion

Erythronium multiscapideum is unusual among western species (and resembles some eastern species) in its tendency to reproduce vegetatively through the production of bulbels at the ends of stolons. It is similar in many respects to E. californicum and sometimes intergrades with it, resulting in occasional populations with the bulb characteristics of one species and the inflorescence branching pattern of the other.

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

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. citrinum, E. elegans, E. grandiflorum, E. helenae, 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. oregonum, E. pluriflorum, E. propullans, E. purpurascens, E. pusaterii, E. quinaultense, E. revolutum, E. rostratum, E. taylorii, E. tuolumnense, E. umbilicatum
Synonyms Fritillaria multiscapidea
Name authority S. Watson: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 22: 479. (1887) (Kellogg) A. Nelson & Kennedy: Muhlenbergia 3: 137. (1908)
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