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. They are woodland or mountain meadow plants enjoying humus rich but well drained soil. They bloom in the spring. Erythronium species and cultivars H-O are found on this page.
Erythronium A-G - Erythronium P-Z - Erythronium index
Erythronium helenae Applegate is a rare species found in dry serpentine soils in oak and pine woodland and chaparral in Napa and Sonoma Counties, California. It appreciates warmth during its summer dormancy. Leaves are mottled and it has large white widely opened flowers with a yellow base, yellow anthers and auricles at the petal base. On warm days it smells of orange blossoms. Photos #1-4 were taken by Mary Sue Ittner. Photos 1-2 show plants in cultivation grown from seed and 3-4 are of plants seen growing on a gravelly bank in Lake County very close to Sonoma County.
The first two photos below were contributed by the UC Botanical Garden showing the habit of the plants in flower. The last was taken by John Lonsdale.
Erythronium hendersonii S. Watson is native to the Siskiyou Mountains of southern Oregon and northern California. The flowers are quite fragrant, an unusual characteristic in this genus shared with E. helenae. E. hendersonii hybridizes readily with E. oregonum, producing intermediate forms with interesting central zones. It requires a dry but not desiccated situation in summer. Photos by Jane McGary and John Lonsdale.
Erythronium howellii is native to the Siskiyou Mountains of southern Oregon and northern California. It has mottled leaves and white flowers with yellow or orange inner markings. Photos from Mary Sue Ittner including one of a newly sprouted leaf.
Erythronium japonicum is a member of the dens-canis group and is often described as E. dens-canis ssp. japonicum. It is renowned for the deep violet color of its flowers. Would-be purchasers are warned, however, that there are strains grown for food purposes in Japan that have mediocre flowers and these are often what is sold as E. japonicum. This is definitely a bulb to be purchased either in flower or from a source known to be extremely reliable. Photos by Mari Kitama taken in May 2010 at the Sakato mountain (600m) in Japan. The last one shows a white form which is very rare.
Erythronium mesochoreum Knerr is found in Iowa and Nebraska south to Oklahoma. It has small white to pale lavender flowers with a yellow center. Photos by John Lonsdale.
Erythronium montanum S Watson is native to alpine and sub-alpine meadows in mountains from British Columbia to Southern Oregon. Its leaves are plain green and shiny. The white flowers have bright yellow centres and a distinctive three-part stigma. Buds ranged from white to dark pink, but the flowers were all white. Though erythroniums from high altitudes are often difficult to grow at sea-level, some of the medium altitude plants rescued from this logging site are growing well in wooded gardens at a lower elevation. Photos below are of plants flowering the end of May along the San Juan Ridge on southern Vancouver Island taken by Diane Whitehead.
Erythronium multiscapoideum (Kellogg) A. Nelson & Kennedy is native to the wooded slopes in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada of California. It has become a good garden plant and one of the first western species to bloom with white flowers with a yellow center. Photos #1-3 by Mary Sue Ittner below show a back view with multiple stems which is one of the distinguishing characteristics and the leaves and more flower pictures. Photo #4 was taken by Arnold Trachtenberg. Photo #5 was contributed by the UC Botanical Garden showing a nice clump in bloom.
Erythronium A-G - Erythronium P-Z - Erythronium index