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Erythronium montanum

avalanche-lily, white avalanche-lily, white glacier lily

American trout-lily, dogtooth violet, trout lily, yellow trout-lily, érythrone d'amérique

Bulbs

narrowly ovoid, 25–60 mm.

ovoid, 15–28 mm;

stolons 1–3, common, mostly on 1-leaved, nonflowering plants.

Leaves

10–20 cm;

blade green, ovate to broadly lanceolate, base ± abruptly narrowed to petiole, margins wavy.

8–23 cm;

blade green, irregularly mottled, elliptic-lanceolate to ovate or elliptic, ± flat, glaucous, margins entire.

Scape

12–35 cm.

10–18 cm.

Inflorescences

1–3-flowered.

1-flowered.

Flowers

tepals white to creamy white with bright yellow zone at base, broadly ovate to broadly lanceolate, 25–45 mm, inner wider than outer, auriculate at base, length less than 4 times width;

stamens 12–24 mm;

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

anthers bright yellow;

style white, 13–25 mm;

stigma with slender, usually recurved lobes 1–5 mm.

tepals yellow, sometimes tinged light to dark purple-red abaxially, sometimes with reddish dots adaxially, strongly reflexed at anthesis, lanceolate, 20–33 mm, inner with small auricles;

stamens 9–15 mm;

filaments yellow, lanceolate;

anthers yellow, chestnut brown, or lavender;

pollen yellow or brown;

style deciduous or base forming small apiculum, greenish yellow, 5–11 mm, swollen distally or ± terete;

stigma lobes erect or recurved, 1.5 mm.

Capsules

oblong, 3–6 cm.

held erect or at least off ground at maturity, obovoid, 12–15 mm, apex rounded, truncate, or apiculate.

2n

= 24.

= 48.

Erythronium montanum

Erythronium americanum

Phenology Flowering summer, usually soon after snowmelt (Jun–Aug).
Habitat Montane and subalpine meadows, open coniferous forests
Elevation (300–)800–2000 m ((1000–)2600–6600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
OR; WA; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from USDA
e North America
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

This species occurs in the Coast Ranges of southern British Columbia, and disjunctly to southern Vancouver Island, the Olympic Peninsula, and Cascade Mountains from Mount Rainier National Park in Washington to central Oregon.

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

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

Erythronium americanum is a very common and widespread species, particularly in northeastern North America, becoming less frequent towards the southern and western limits of its range. Nonflowering plants far outnumber flowering ones in most populations because of their extensive stolon production. Plants with brown anthers have been called forma castaneum L. B. Smith.

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

Key
1. Capsule apex rounded, truncate, or short-apiculate; stigma lobes erect, not grooved; widespread in ne United States
subsp. americanum
1. Capsule apex distinctly apiculate; stigma lobes recurved, grooved distally; n Alabama, Georgia, ne Mississippi, Tennessee
subsp. harperi
Source FNA vol. 26, p. 157. 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. hendersonii, E. klamathense, E. mesochoreum, 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. 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. taylorii, E. tuolumnense, E. umbilicatum
Subordinate taxa
E. americanum subsp. americanum, E. americanum subsp. harperi
Name authority S. Watson: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 26: 130. (1891) Ker Gawler: Bot. Mag. 28: plate 1113. (1808)
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