Erythronium is a genus of about 20 species in the Liliaceae family. Most of the species are from Western North America but there are also a few in eastern North America and Eurasia. Dr. Geraldine Allen of the University of Victoria, British Columbia, has been studying Erythronium for many years. She finds that the genus can be divided into two sub-genera, one comprising E. dens-canis, its forms, and the various eastern American species; and one comprising the western erythroniums native to the Pacific Slope of North America. In her view, as a genus, Erythronium is most closely related to Tulipa, an observation that seems almost obvious if you turn an erythronium stem straight up. The Western Erythroniums can be split into two groups, those with mottled leaves and those with plain leaves. The ones with mottled leaves are generally considered the most beautiful, and certainly the leaves themselves add greatly to their beauty. Those from foothill woodlands with mottled leaves bloom in the spring and are dormant in the summer. Those from montane meadows and willow thickets have green leaves, summer flowers and are dormant in winter. The Western erythroniums are botanically distinguished by details of the stamens, stigman, and other sexual organs. Most of the species are quite easy to distinguish.
They are woodland or mountain meadow plants enjoying humus rich but well drained soil. They bloom in the spring. Seeds of western species need to be sown early in the fall for germination. It may take 4 months of longer for some species to germinate. Fresh seed will have a very high germination rate, but seed a year or two old will still perform fairly well if it is sown early enough. Beyond a year or two germination really falls off (Diana Chapman). Seeds of high altitude species need to be stratified before germination will occur. For more information consult Jane McGary, 2001.
For photos and information of species and cultivars select the appropriate wiki page:
Erythronium A-G – Erythronium H-O – Erythronium P-Z or click on the name in the table below.
Erythronium A-G – Erythronium H-O – Erythronium P-Z