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deer's tongue, giant fawn-lily, giant white fawn-lily, Oregon fawn-lily, white fawn lily, wild Easter lily

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

Bulbs

narrowly ovoid, 25–60 mm, sometimes producing sessile offsets.

ovoid, 15–28 mm;

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

Leaves

12–25 cm;

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

8–23 cm;

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

Scape

± reddish, 15–40 cm.

10–18 cm.

Inflorescences

1–3-flowered.

1-flowered.

Flowers

tepals white to creamy white with yellow base at anthesis, sometimes pinkish in age, sometimes with red lines or bands, elliptic to narrowly ovate, 25–40 mm, inner with small auricles at base;

stamens 12–25 mm;

filaments white, flattened, ± lanceolate, 2–3 mm wide;

anthers cream to yellow;

style white, 12–18 mm;

stigma with recurved lobes 3–6 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 to narrowly obovoid, 3–5 cm.

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

2n

= 24.

= 48.

Erythronium oregonum

Erythronium americanum

Phenology Flowering spring (Mar–May).
Habitat Open coniferous forests, rocky outcrops, oak woodlands, meadows
Elevation 0–500 m (0–1600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; OR; WA; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from USDA
e North America
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Forms from the southern part of the range with cream-white tepals and pale anthers have been described as subsp. leucandrum. This species is closely related to E. revolutum and occasionally hybridizes with it where their ranges meet. In addition, E. citrinum and E. hendersonii are reported to hybridize with E. oregonum in the southern part of its range.

(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. 158. 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. montanum, E. multiscapideum, 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
Synonyms E. giganteum subsp. leucandrum, E. oregonum subsp. leucandrum
Name authority Applegate: Madroño 3: 99. (1935) Ker Gawler: Bot. Mag. 28: plate 1113. (1808)
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