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Erythronium revolutum

coast fawn lily, mahogany fawn lily, pink fawn-lily

midland fawnlily, prairie trout-lily, white fawnlily

Bulbs

narrowly ovoid, 35–50 mm, sometimes producing sessile offsets.

ovoid to ± globose, 10–25 mm;

stolons absent; flowering plants reproducing vegetatively by droppers or offshoots.

Leaves

10–25 mm;

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

5–14 cm;

blade green, usually not mottled, elliptic-lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate, conduplicate, glaucous, base and margins sometimes purple-brown, margins even.

Scape

15–40 cm.

5–15 cm.

Inflorescences

1–3-flowered.

1-flowered.

Flowers

tepals uniformly clear violet-pink at anthesis, with yellow banding at base, lanceolate to narrowly elliptic, 25–40 mm, inner with small auricles at base;

stamens ± appressed to style, 12–22 mm;

filaments white to pink (darkening with age), flattened, ± lanceolate, 2–3 mm wide;

anthers bright yellow;

style white to pink, 12–18 mm;

stigma with slender recurved lobes 4–6 mm.

tepals spreading at anthesis, white, tinged pink, blue, or lavender abaxially, with yellow adaxial spot at base, lanceolate, 15–30 mm, auricles absent;

stamens 8–15 mm;

filaments yellow, lanceolate;

anthers yellow;

pollen yellow;

style white, 7–10 mm;

stigma lobes recurving, 1–1.5 mm.

Capsules

oblong to obovoid, 3–6 cm.

resting on ground at maturity due to reclining peduncle, obovoid, 10–15 mm, apex rounded to faintly apiculate or umbilicate.

2n

= 22.

Erythronium revolutum

Erythronium mesochoreum

Phenology Flowering early spring (Mar–Apr). Flowering spring.
Habitat Shaded stream banks, river terraces, wet places in forests Prairies, glades, dry, open woods, occasionally pastures
Elevation 0–600(–1000) m (0–2000(–3300) ft) 100–700 m (300–2300 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; OR; WA; BC; generally within 100 km of Pacific Coast
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AR; IA; IL; KS; MO; NE; OK; TX
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[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Because stolons are absent in Erythronium mesochoreum, most plants in a population produce flowers; nonflowering plants may sometimes appear after flowering plants have flowered. This species is well adapted to prairie fires. The seeds have elaiosomes, and ants may act as dispersal agents (Great Plains Flora Association 1986). C. C. Deam et al. (1941) reported E. mesochoreum from Indiana, but an examination of the specimens cited, now at IND, showed that these are E. albidum. E. L. Braun (1967) reported that many populations of E. albidum in southwestern Ohio indicate introgression with “the Ozarkean var. mesochoreum.” However, personal observation by K. R. Robertson of several Ohio populations in flower confirmed that these plants are true E. albidum, although they occur in prairies and have more or less conduplicate leaves.

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

Source FNA vol. 26, p. 158. FNA vol. 26, p. 163.
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. purpurascens, E. pusaterii, E. quinaultense, 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. 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. albidum var. coloratum, E. albidum var. mesochoreum
Name authority Smith: in A. Rees, Cycl. 13: Erythronium no. 3. (1809) Knerr: Midland College Monthly 2: 5. (1891)
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