Flora of North America species comparison

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Erythronium grandiflorum subsp. candidum

(synonym of Erythronium idahoense)

Erythronium grandiflorum

Idaho fawn-lily

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

slender, 30–50 mm.
Leaves

5–20 cm;

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

5–30 cm.
Inflorescences

usually 1-flowered, sometimes up to 5-flowered.
Flowers

tepals white to creamy white, with yellow zone at base;

anthers cream to yellow.

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

oblong to narrowly obovoid, 2–5 cm.
2n

= 24.

Erythronium grandiflorum subsp. candidum

Erythronium grandiflorum
Phenology Flowering late spring (Apr–Jun).
Habitat Grasslands and forest openings
Elevation 500–1500 m (1600–4900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
ID; MT; WA
from USDA
w North America
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

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. 156. FNA vol. 26, p. 156.
Parent taxa Liliaceae > Erythronium > Erythronium grandiflorum Liliaceae > Erythronium
Sibling taxa
E. grandiflorum subsp. candidum, E. grandiflorum subsp. grandiflorum
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. grandiflorum var. candidum, E. grandiflorum var. idahoense, E. idahoense
Name authority Piper: in C. V. Piper and R. K. Beattie, Fl. S.E. Washington, 61. (1914) Pursh: Fl. Amer. Sept. 1: 231. (1814)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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