Northern Rocky Mountain Wildflowers by H. Wayne Phillips

Author:H. Wayne Phillips
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780762785612
Publisher: Falcon Guides
Published: 2016-02-25T00:00:00+00:00

GLACIER LILY

Erythronium grandiflorum Pursh

Lily family (Liliaceae)

Description: Glacier lily is easily recognized by its few(2–4) large, showy, yellow (or white) flowers with 6 tepals (petals and petal-like sepals) that are abruptly bent backward toward the base. The 6 protruding stamens may have white, yellow, red, or purple anthers. The style is tipped with 3 stigma lobes. There are 2 parallel-veined (unmottled) leaves, 4–8" long, near the base of the stem. The white-flowered glacier lilies of northwest Montana, southeast Washington, and adjacent Idaho are the variety candidum, a regional endemic.

Bloom Season: March–August.

Habitat/Range: Valleys, montane, and subalpine forests to timberline.

Comments: Erythronium comes from the Greek erythros (red), referring to the red flowers of some species. Glacier lily is also known as “adder’s tongue,” “trout lily,” “fawn lily,” and “dogtooth violet.” Glacier lilies bloom as the snow melts in the mountains, following the snow line as it recedes up the slopes. These flowers are so lovely that it can be tempting to plant them in the garden. However, those who have tried have usually failed. It is best to enjoy glacier lilies in their wild habitat. In the spring of 1806, Meriwether Lewis made two separate collections of this plant; once along the Clearwater River (May 8). and again along Eldorado Creek (June 15). where his journal entry states, “the dogtooth violet is just in blume.”

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.