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

Erythronium citrinum

citrus fawn lily, cream fawn lily, lemon color fawn lily, lemon fawn lily, pale fawn-lily

Bulbs

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

slender, 40–50 mm, sometimes producing sessile offsets.

Leaves

12–25 cm;

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

9–15 cm;

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

Scape

± reddish, 15–40 cm.

12–35 cm.

Inflorescences

1–3-flowered.

1–3-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 ± white, often pinkish, usually pale yellow at base, lanceolate to narrowly elliptic, 25–45 mm, inner with or without small auricles at base;

stamens 11–17 mm;

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

anthers white, cream, pink, reddish, or brownish red;

style straight, white or pink, 6–10 mm;

stigma unlobed or with lobes shorter than 1 mm.

Capsules

oblong to narrowly obovoid, 3–5 cm.

obovoid, 2–5 cm.

2n

= 24.

= 24.

Erythronium oregonum

Erythronium citrinum

Phenology Flowering spring (Mar–May). Flowering spring (Mar–May).
Habitat Open coniferous forests, rocky outcrops, oak woodlands, meadows Dry woods, brushy slopes, common on serpentine substrates
Elevation 0–500 m (0–1600 ft) 100–1300 (–1800) m (300–4300 (–5900) ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; OR; WA; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; OR
[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.)

Plants lacking auricles on inner tepals are sometimes segregated as Erythronium howellii, Howell’s fawn-lily, but they do not appear to differ from typical E. citrinum in any other characters. Erythronium citrinum intergrades with E. californicum and E. hendersonii, occasional populations or individuals displaying intermediate or recombined characteristics. Such plants from the upper Scott River drainage in Trinity County, California, which may be the result of introgression with E. hendersonii, have been recognized as variety roderickii.

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

Source FNA vol. 26, p. 158. FNA vol. 26, p. 160.
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. americanum, E. californicum, 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
Synonyms E. giganteum subsp. leucandrum, E. oregonum subsp. leucandrum E. citrinum var. roderickii, E. howellii
Name authority Applegate: Madroño 3: 99. (1935) S. Watson: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 22: 480. (1887)
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