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purple fawn lily, Sierra Nevada fawn-lily

Erythronium montanum

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

Bulbs

slender, 25–40 mm.

narrowly ovoid, 25–60 mm.

Leaves

6–15 cm;

blade green, lanceolate to narrowly ovate, margins ± wavy.

10–20 cm;

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

Scape

7–20 cm.

12–35 cm.

Inflorescences

1–6-flowered.

1–3-flowered.

Flowers

tepals white, bright yellow on proximal 1/3, pinkish purple in age, lanceolate, 10–20 mm, not auriculate at base;

stamens 8–12 mm;

filaments yellow, slender;

anthers cream to yellow;

style yellow, 4–5 mm;

stigma ± unlobed.

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.

Capsules

obovoid, 2–4 cm.

oblong, 3–6 cm.

2n

= 24.

Erythronium purpurascens

Erythronium montanum

Phenology Flowering summer, soon after snowmelt (Jun–Aug). Flowering summer, usually soon after snowmelt (Jun–Aug).
Habitat Open coniferous forests, meadows, rocky places Montane and subalpine meadows, open coniferous forests
Elevation 1500–2700 m (4900–8900 ft) (300–)800–2000 m ((1000–)2600–6600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
OR; WA; BC
[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.)

Source FNA vol. 26, p. 159. FNA vol. 26, p. 157.
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. oregonum, E. pluriflorum, E. propullans, 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. multiscapideum, E. oregonum, E. pluriflorum, E. propullans, E. purpurascens, E. pusaterii, E. quinaultense, E. revolutum, E. rostratum, E. taylorii, E. tuolumnense, E. umbilicatum
Name authority S. Watson: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 12: 277. (1877) S. Watson: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 26: 130. (1891)
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