Citrus fawn lily facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Citrus fawn lily |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Erythronium
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| Species: |
citrinum
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The Erythronium citrinum, often called the citrus fawn lily or cream fawn lily, is a beautiful wild flower. It belongs to the lily family. This special flower grows naturally only in the Klamath Mountains. You can find it in southwestern Oregon and nearby northwestern California. The Erythronium group of flowers, which includes about 28 different kinds, grows across North America, Europe, and Asia. California is home to 15 of these types, showing how diverse they are there.
Where Does the Citrus Fawn Lily Grow?
The citrus fawn lily likes to grow in sunny forests and on bushy hillsides. It especially prefers a unique type of soil called serpentine soil. This flower blooms in the early spring. When it's blooming season, you can often see many of these lovely flowers all at once.
What Does the Citrus Fawn Lily Look Like?
The flowers of the citrus fawn lily grow on stems that are about six to eight inches tall. It has two wide, spotted leaves that can be up to six inches long. The flower itself is creamy-white with a bright yellow center. As the flowers get older, the tips of their petals (called tepals) turn a pretty pink color.
Inside the flower, the stigma (the part that receives pollen) has three very shallow lobes. The anthers (the parts that hold pollen) are white.
How to Tell It Apart From Similar Flowers
The citrus fawn lily grows near other similar Erythronium flowers. These include Erythronium oregonum, Erythronium howellii, and Erythronium hendersonii.
- E. howellii: This flower looks very much like the citrus fawn lily. However, E. howellii grows in a smaller area. You can tell it apart because it does not have special nectar-making parts at the base of its inner petals.
- E. hendersonii: This flower is also quite similar. But it is easy to spot the difference because E. hendersonii has purple flowers, not creamy-white ones. Its growing area stops just where the citrus fawn lily's begins.
- E. oregonum: This flower is common in southwest Oregon. You can tell it apart from the citrus fawn lily by looking at its stigma. E. oregonum has a stigma that is deeply divided into three lobes. The citrus fawn lily's stigma is only narrowly divided.
