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Fawn lily
Dent-de-chien.JPG
Erythronium dens-canis
Scientific classification e
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Liliales
Family: Liliaceae
Subfamily: Lilioideae
Tribe: Lilieae
Genus: Erythronium
L.
Type species
Erythronium dens-canis
Synonyms
  • Mithridatium Adans. 1763, illegitimate superfluous name
  • Dens-canis Tourn. ex Rupp. 1745, not validly published

Erythronium, the fawn lily, trout lily, dog's-tooth violet or adder's tongue, is a genus of Eurasian and North American plants in the lily family, most closely related to tulips. The name Erythronium derives from Ancient Greek ἐρυθρός (eruthrós) "red" in Greek, referring to the red flowers of E. dens-canis. Of all the established species, most live in North America; only six species are found in Europe and Asia.

Species

Erythronium includes about 20–30 species of hardy spring-flowering perennial plants with long, tooth-like bulbs. Slender stems carry pendent flowers with recurved tepals in shades of cream, yellow, pink and mauve. Species are native to forests and meadows in temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere.

Image Species Common name Distribution
Erythronium albidum smith creek.jpg Erythronium albidum Nutt. small white fawn-lily, white fawn-lily, white trout-lily, tooth-lily Ontario, east-central United States (MN to CT south to TX, AL)
Bright yellow trout lily erythronium americanum nodding bloom with red stamen.jpg Erythronium americanum Ker-Gawl. trout-lily, yellow trout-lily, yellow adder's-tongue, yellow dogtooth violet Eastern Canada (Ontario to Labrador), Eastern United States (ME to GA, West to Mississippi River)
California fawn lily (Erythronium californicum)c (26967403487).jpg Erythronium californicum Purdy California fawn-lily Northern California
Kandyk kavkazskii 1.jpg Erythronium caucasicum Woronow Caucasian dog's tooth violet Caucasus, Iran
Erythronium citrinum.jpg Erythronium citrinum S. Wats. cream fawn-lily Oregon, Northern California
Erythronium dens-canis (39917014055).jpg Erythronium dens-canis L. dog's-tooth violet Southern, Central Europe from Portugal to Ukraine
Erythronium elegans Hammond & Chambers Coast Range fawn-lily Oregon
Erythronium grandiflorum 5077.JPG Erythronium grandiflorum Pursh dogtooth lily, glacier lily, yellow avalanche-lily, yellow fawn-lily western Canada, western United States
Erythronium helenae.jpg Erythronium helenae Applegate Pacific fawn-lily California (Sonoma, Napa, Lake Cos.)
Erythronium hendersonii emerging - Flickr - brewbooks.jpg Erythronium hendersonii S. Wats. Henderson's fawn-lily Oregon, Northern California
Erythronium howellii S. Wats. Howell's fawn-lily Oregon, Northern California
Erythronium idahoense H.St.John & G.N.Jones - Idaho fawn-lily Montana, Idaho, Washington state
仙元山のカタクリ.jpg Erythronium japonicum Decne. katakuri Japan, Korea, Russia (Kuril Islands, Sakhalin), China (Jilin, Liaoning)
Fawn lily cllrs.jpg Erythronium klamathense Applegate Klamath fawn-lily Oregon, Northern California
Erythronium krylovii Stepanov Tuvan trout-lily Russia (Tuva, Krasnoyarsk)
Erythronium mesochoreum bloom.jpg Erythronium mesochoreum Knerr midland fawn-lily, white fawn-lily Central United States (TX to NE, IN)
Avalanche Lily (c1f92f483eb44969b80c27577f433891).JPG Erythronium montanum S. Wats. avalanche lily, white avalanche-lily BC, Washington state, Oregon
J20170309-0006—Erythronium multiscapideum 'Cliftonii'—RPBG (32611414983).jpg Erythronium multiscapideum (Kellogg) A. Nels. & Kennedy Sierra fawn-lily California
Erythronium oregonum 5581.JPG Erythronium oregonum Applegate giant white fawn-lily BC, Washington, California, Oregon
Erythronium pluriflorum Shevock, Bartel & G.A.Allen manyflower fawn-lily Madera Co in California
Erythronium propullans.jpg Erythronium propullans Gray dwarf trout-lily Minnesota
Erythronium purpurascens 01.jpg Erythronium purpurascens S. Wats. purple fawn-lily California
Erythronium pusaterii (Kaweah Lakes fawnlily) (6734524353).jpg Erythronium pusaterii (Munz & J.T. Howell) Shevock, Bartel & G.A.Allen Kaweah Lakes fawn-lily Tulare Co in California
Erythronium quinaultense G.A.Allen Olympic fawn-lily Olympic Peninsula in Washington state
N20150319-0024—Erythronium revolutum—RPBG (16245943554).jpg Erythronium revolutum Sm. mahogany fawn-lily BC, Washington state, Oregon, California
Erythronium rostratum Arkansas.jpg Erythronium rostratum W.Wolf yellow trout-lily south-central United States
Erythronium sajanense IMG 0913.jpg Erythronium sajanense Stepanov & Stassova Krasnoyarsk in Russia
Цветение кандыка сибирского.jpg Erythronium sibiricum (Fisch. & C.A.Mey.) Krylov Siberian fawn-lily Siberia, Kazakhstan, Xinjiang, Mongolia
Erythronium sulevii 31188317.jpg Erythronium sulevii (Rukšans) Stepanov Altay Krai in Russia
Erythronium taylorii jhaas lg.jpg Erythronium taylorii Shevock & G.A.Allen Taylor's fawn-lily Tuolumne Co California
Erythronium tuolumnense White Beauty. Locatie, Tuinreservaat Jonkervallei 02.jpg Erythronium tuolumnense Applegate Tuolumne fawn-lily Tuolumne Co in California
Trout lily pair square.jpg Erythronium umbilicatum Parks & Hardin dimpled trout-lily southeastern United States (Florida to Kentucky, West Virginia, Maryland)

Formerly included

Two species names were coined using the name Erythronium but have since been reclassified to other taxa.

  • Erythronium carolinianum, now called Uvularia perfoliata
  • Erythronium hyacinthoides, now called Drimia indica

Cultivation and uses

Erythroniums are widely grown as ornamental plants, with numerous hybrids and cultivars having been selected for garden use. Popular cultivars include Erythronium 'Pagoda', E. 'Sundisc', E. 'Joanna', E. 'Kondo', E. 'Citronella', E. californicum 'White Beauty', and E. 'Rosalind'. Propagation is best by seed in autumn or by division of bulbs, depending on species. Some species propagate vegetatively. The plant is also great as a ground cover, as it will spread over several years.

The following cultivars, of mixed ancestry, have won the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit:

  • 'Apple Blossom' (white with yellow centre)
  • 'Janice' (pink)
  • 'Joanna' (cream/pale yellow throat)
  • 'Pagoda' (cream yellow)
  • 'Sundisc' (yellow)
  • 'Wildside Seedling' (white/yellow)

The bulb is edible as a root vegetable, cooked or dried, and can be ground into flour. The leaves can also be cooked as a leaf vegetable. In Japan, Erythronium japonicum is called katakuri, and the bulb is processed to produce starch, which is used for food and other purposes.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Erythronium para niños

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