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Erythronium citrinum

citrus fawn lily, cream fawn lily, lemon color fawn lily, lemon fawn lily, pale fawn-lily

deer's tongue, giant fawn-lily, giant white fawn-lily, Oregon fawn-lily, white fawn lily, wild Easter lily

Bulbs

slender, 40–50 mm, sometimes producing sessile offsets.

narrowly ovoid, 25–60 mm, sometimes producing sessile offsets.

Leaves

9–15 cm;

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

12–25 cm;

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

Scape

12–35 cm.

± reddish, 15–40 cm.

Inflorescences

1–3-flowered.

1–3-flowered.

Flowers

tepals ± white, often pinkish, usually pale yellow at base, lanceolate to narrowly elliptic, 25–45 mm, inner with or without small auricles at base;

stamens 11–17 mm;

filaments linear, white or pinkish, slender, less than 0.8 mm wide;

anthers white, cream, pink, reddish, or brownish red;

style straight, white or pink, 6–10 mm;

stigma unlobed or with lobes shorter than 1 mm.

tepals white to creamy white with yellow base at anthesis, sometimes pinkish in age, sometimes with red lines or bands, elliptic to narrowly ovate, 25–40 mm, inner with small auricles at base;

stamens 12–25 mm;

filaments white, flattened, ± lanceolate, 2–3 mm wide;

anthers cream to yellow;

style white, 12–18 mm;

stigma with recurved lobes 3–6 mm.

Capsules

obovoid, 2–5 cm.

oblong to narrowly obovoid, 3–5 cm.

2n

= 24.

= 24.

Erythronium citrinum

Erythronium oregonum

Phenology Flowering spring (Mar–May). Flowering spring (Mar–May).
Habitat Dry woods, brushy slopes, common on serpentine substrates Open coniferous forests, rocky outcrops, oak woodlands, meadows
Elevation 100–1300 (–1800) m (300–4300 (–5900) ft) 0–500 m (0–1600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; OR
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; OR; WA; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Plants lacking auricles on inner tepals are sometimes segregated as Erythronium howellii, Howell’s fawn-lily, but they do not appear to differ from typical E. citrinum in any other characters. Erythronium citrinum intergrades with E. californicum and E. hendersonii, occasional populations or individuals displaying intermediate or recombined characteristics. Such plants from the upper Scott River drainage in Trinity County, California, which may be the result of introgression with E. hendersonii, have been recognized as variety roderickii.

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

Forms from the southern part of the range with cream-white tepals and pale anthers have been described as subsp. leucandrum. This species is closely related to E. revolutum and occasionally hybridizes with it where their ranges meet. In addition, E. citrinum and E. hendersonii are reported to hybridize with E. oregonum in the southern part of its range.

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

Source FNA vol. 26, p. 160. FNA vol. 26, p. 158.
Parent taxa Liliaceae > Erythronium Liliaceae > Erythronium
Sibling taxa
E. albidum, E. americanum, E. californicum, 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. 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. montanum, E. multiscapideum, E. pluriflorum, E. propullans, E. purpurascens, E. pusaterii, E. quinaultense, E. revolutum, E. rostratum, E. taylorii, E. tuolumnense, E. umbilicatum
Synonyms E. citrinum var. roderickii, E. howellii E. giganteum subsp. leucandrum, E. oregonum subsp. leucandrum
Name authority S. Watson: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 22: 480. (1887) Applegate: Madroño 3: 99. (1935)
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