Erythronium grandiflorum

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Erythronium grandiflorum
Erythronium grandiflorum 5077.JPG
Erythronium grandiflorum
Mount Rainier National Park
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Liliales
Family: Liliaceae
Subfamily: Lilioideae
Tribe: Lilieae
Genus: Erythronium
Species:
E. grandiflorum
Binomial name
Erythronium grandiflorum
Synonyms [1]
Synonymy
  • Erythronium leptopetalumRydb.
  • Erythronium maximumDouglas ex Baker
  • Erythronium nudipetalumApplegate
  • Erythronium obtusatumGoodd.
  • Erythronium pallidum(H.St.John) G.N.Jones
  • Erythronium parviflorum(S.Watson) Goodd.
  • Erythronium speciosumNutt. ex Baker
  • Erythronium utahenseRydb.
  • Erythronium giganteumLindl.

Erythronium grandiflorum is a North American species of plants in the lily family. [1] It is known by several common names, including yellow avalanche lily, glacier lily, and dogtooth fawn lily. [2] [3] The Ktunaxa name for glacier lily is maxa. [4]

Contents

Description

Erythronium grandiflorum grows from a deep bulb (or corm) which is 3 to 5 centimeters wide. Its two green leaves are wavy-edged and up to 20 centimeters long. The stalk may reach 30 centimeters tall and bears one to three showy flowers. Each flower has bright lemon yellow petals, white stamens with large white to yellow to red anthers, and a white style. [5]

The Flora of North America recognizes two subspecies, the yellow-flowered subsp. grandiflorum and the white- to cream-flowered subsp. candidum. [6] More recent publications consider subsp. candidum to be a distinct species, called Erythronium idahoense. [1]

Distribution and habitat

It is native to western North America from British Columbia and Alberta south to New Mexico and California, though it has not been reported from Arizona or Nevada. [7] It can be found in subalpine mountain meadows, slopes, and clearings. [1] [8]

Ecology

The flower is pollinated by bumblebees and other bees. The bulbs are an important and preferred food of the grizzly bear. Mule deer readily eat the foliage. [9] [10] [11]

After hummingbirds migrate 1,500 miles each year from Mexico to the Rocky Mountains of Colorado they collect energy from the nectar of the lilies, however, rising temperatures from global warming cause the flowers to bloom, and also to wither, earlier each year. As of 2023, the danger is foreseen that in 20 years the birds may arrive from their long migration to find their usually reliable nourishment unavailable because of premature withering. [12]

Uses

The bulbs can be eaten cooked or raw to avoid starvation [13] (though they can cause nausea this way). [14] The leaves and flowers are also edible raw or cooked. [15]

Erythronium grandiflorum ssp. grandiflorum with red anthers.jpg
Erythronium grandiflorum ssp. grandiflorum with white anthers.jpg
Erythronium grandiflorum ssp. grandiflorum with yellow anthers.jpg
Anther color variation

Related Research Articles

<i>Erythronium</i> Genus of flowering plants

Erythronium, the fawn lily, trout lily, dog's-tooth violet or adder's tongue, is a genus of Eurasian and North American plants in the lily family, most closely related to tulips. The name Erythronium derives from Ancient Greek ἐρυθρός (eruthrós) "red" in Greek, referring to the red flowers of E. dens-canis. Of all the established species, most live in North America; only six species are found in Europe and Asia.

<i>Camassia</i> Genus of plants

Camassia is a genus of plants in the asparagus family native to North America. Common names include camas, quamash, Indian hyacinth, camash, and wild hyacinth.

<i>Fritillaria affinis</i> Species of flowering plant

Fritillaria affinis, the chocolate lily, is a highly variable species of flowering plant in the lily family Liliaceae native to western North America.

<i>Erythronium albidum</i> Species of flowering plant

Erythronium albidum, the white fawnlily or white trout lily, is a small herbaceous geophyte in the lily family. It is also known as adder's tongue, whitedog's-tooth violet, serpent's tongue, trout lily, deer tongue, creeklily and yellow snowdrop. Large numbers of this plant indicate that the woodland has never been subjected to heavy machinery, where it would be unable to grow due to soil compaction.

<i>Erythronium americanum</i> Species of flowering plant

Erythronium americanum, the trout lily, yellow trout lily, fawn lily, yellow adder's-tongue, or yellow dogtooth violet, is a species of perennial, colony forming, spring ephemeral flower native to North America and dwelling in woodland habitats. Within its range it is a very common and widespread species, especially in eastern North America. The common name "trout lily" refers to the appearance of its gray-green leaves mottled with brown or gray, which allegedly resemble the coloring of brook trout.

<i>Allium cernuum</i> Species of flowering plant

Allium cernuum, known as nodding onion or lady's leek, is a perennial plant in the genus Allium. It grows in open areas in North America.

<i>Erythronium revolutum</i> Species of flowering plant

Erythronium revolutum is a species of flowering plant in the family Liliaceae which is known by several common names, including mahogany fawn lily, coast fawn lily, and pink fawn lily. It is native to the west coast of North America.

<i>Erythronium montanum</i> Species of flowering plant

Erythronium montanum, the avalanche lily or white avalanche lily, is a member of the lily family native to coastal British Columbia and the alpine and subalpine Olympic and Cascade Ranges of the Pacific Northwest of Washington and Oregon.

<i>Erythronium helenae</i> Species of flowering plant

Erythronium helenae is a species of flowering plant in the lily family which is known by the common names Pacific fawn lily and St. Helena fawn lily. It is endemic to the coastal mountains north of the San Francisco Bay Area in California. It is named for the local peak Mount Saint Helena, forming the point where Napa, Sonoma and Lake Counties meet. It grows on the slopes of the mountain at elevations of 500–1200 m, often on serpentine soils.

<i>Erythronium multiscapideum</i> Species of flowering plant

Erythronium multiscapideum is a California species of flowering plant in the lily family which is known by the common name Sierra fawn lily.

<i>Erythronium oregonum</i> Species of flowering plant

Erythronium oregonum is a North American species of flowering plant in the lily family which is known by the common name giant white fawnlily or Oregon fawn-lily.

<i>Erythronium purpurascens</i> Species of flowering plant

Erythronium purpurascens is a species of flowering plant in the lily family which is known by the common names purple fawn lily and Sierra Nevada fawn lily.

<i>Brodiaea coronaria</i> Species of tree

Brodiaea coronaria is the type species of Brodiaea and also known by the common names harvest brodiaea and crown brodiaea. It is native to western North America from British Columbia to northern California, where it grows in mountains and grasslands.

<i>Calochortus elegans</i> Species of flowering plant

Calochortus elegans is a species of flowering plant in the lily family known by the common name elegant Mariposa lily, cat's ear, elegant cat's ears or star tulip. It is native to the western United States from northern California to Montana.

<i>Erythronium klamathense</i> Species of flowering plant

Erythronium klamathense is a rare species of flowering plant in the lily family known by the common name Klamath fawn lily. It is native to northern California and southern Oregon, where it grows in the Klamath Mountains and the southernmost peaks of the Cascade Range.

<i>Erythronium pusaterii</i> Species of flowering plant

Erythronium pusaterii is a species of flowering plant in the lily family known by the common names Kaweah Lakes fawn lily and Hocket Lakes fawn lily.

<i>Toxicoscordion paniculatum</i> Species of plant in the deathcamas genus

Toxicoscordion paniculatum is a species of flowering plant known by the common names foothill deathcamas, panicled death-camas, and sand-corn. It is widely distributed across much of the western United States, especially in the mountains and deserts of the Great Basin region west of the Rocky Mountains. It grows in many types of habitats, including sagebrush plateau, grasslands, forests, and woodlands.

Erythronium elegans is a rare species of flowering plant in the lily family known by the common names Coast Range fawnlily and elegant fawnlily. It is endemic to Oregon in the United States, where it is known from about 12 occurrences in the northern Coast Range.

<i>Erythronium umbilicatum</i> Species of flowering plant

Erythronium umbilicatum, the dimpled trout lily, is a species of flowering plant in the lily family. It is native to the Southeastern United States, primarily in the Piedmont and Southern Appalachian areas. It is reported from West Virginia, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.

Erythronium idahoense, commonly known as Idaho fawn lily, is a white-flowered plant in the Lily family native to the northwestern United States. Its habitats include grasslands and forest openings.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
  2. Jepson Manual Treatment
  3. United States Department of Agriculture Plants Profile
  4. "FirstVoices- Ktunaxa. Plants: food plants: words". Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2012-07-07.
  5. "Yellow Avalanche Lily, Erythronium grandiflorum". calscape.org.
  6. Flora of North America 26 Page 156, Glacier-lily, Erythronium grandiflorum Pursh, Fl. Amer. Sept. 1: 231. 1814
  7. Biota of North America Program 2014 county distribution map
  8. Clennett, C. (2014). The genus Erythronium: 1-158. Kew Publishing, Kew.
  9. Pursh, Frederick Traugott. 1814. Flora Americae Septentrionalis 1: 231
  10. Hitchcock, C. H., A.J. Cronquist, F. M. Ownbey & J. W. Thompson. 1969. Vascular Cryptogams, Gymnosperms, and Monocotyledons. 1: 1–914. In C. L. Hitchcock Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press, Seattle.
  11. Applegate, Elmer Ivan. 1933.
  12. "Ice". Evolution Earth. Season 1. Episode 4. 22 October 2023. PBS.
  13. Reiner, Ralph E. (1969). Introducing the Flowering Beauty of Glacier National Park and the Majestic High Rockies. Glacier Park, Inc. p. 36.
  14. Benoliel, Doug (2011). Northwest Foraging: The Classic Guide to Edible Plants of the Pacific Northwest (Rev. and updated ed.). Seattle, WA: Skipstone. p. 91. ISBN   978-1-59485-366-1. OCLC   668195076.
  15. Nyerges, Christopher (2017). Foraging Washington: Finding, Identifying, and Preparing Edible Wild Foods. Guilford, CT: Falcon Guides. ISBN   978-1-4930-2534-3. OCLC   965922681.