Practical
Plants

Erythronium albidum mesochoreum

Fawn Lily

a member of the Erythronium genus in the family Liliaceae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Family
Liliaceae
Height
0.05 m
Fertility
Insects
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Insects

Uses

Toxicity

Toxicity warning. The historical record reports a hazard for this plant. Do not use it to decide which parts are safe to eat or use medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Although no records of toxicity have been seen for this species, the following notes have been seen for another member of this genus and so some caution is advised. Skin contact with the bulbs has been known to cause dermatitis in sensitive people[11].

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Bulb - raw or cooked[2][3]. Rather small, it is about 20mm long[7]. The bulbs are eaten avidly by children[8]. Young leaves - raw or cooked. Crisp, tasty, tender and mild when eaten raw[5]. Eating the leaves will greatly reduce the vigour of the bulb, so can only be recommended in times of emergency[K].

Plant part
Root

Environment

Range
N. America - Iowa and Nebraska to Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas.
Habitat
Woods, thickets and meadows[10][12]. Prairies and dry woods in Texas[9].
Shade tolerance
partial shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 4+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a shady position in a cold frame. Water lightly in summer, it should germinate in autumn or winter[4][6]. Stored seed requires a period of cold stratification[4]. Sow as early in spring as possible in a cold frame. Sow the seed thinly so that it will not be necessary to prick them out for their first year of growth. Give an occasional liquid feed to the seedlings to make sure that they do not become nutrient deficient. When the plants are dormant, pot up the small bulbs putting 2 - 3 bulbs in each pot. Grow them on in a shady position in the greenhouse for another 2 3 years and then plant them out into their permanent positions when they are dormant in late summer. Division in summer as the leaves die down. This species does not produce offsets[6].

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Prefers slightly acid soil conditions but succeeds in chalky soils if these contain plenty of humus[4]. Requires semi-shade, preferably provided by trees or shrubs, and a well-drained soil[4]. Succeeds in almost any light soil, preferring one that is rich in humus[1]. This species is unsatisfactory in cultivation outdoors in Britain. It comes into growth early in the year and the flowers probably need more heat than our typical spring provides if they are to open properly[12]. Flowers are produced in 3 - 4 years from seed[4]. This species does not produce offsets[6].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

    ↩

  2. Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976-00-00

    ↩

  3. Yanovsky. E. Food Plants of the N. American Indians. Publication no. 237. U.S. Depf of Agriculture.

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  4. Bird. R. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 4. Thompson and Morgan. 1990-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5

  5. Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9

    ↩

  6. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2↩3

  7. Britton. N. L. Brown. A. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada Dover Publications. New York. 1970-00-00 ISBN 0-486-22642-5

    ↩

  8. Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998-00-00 ISBN 0-88192-453-9

    ↩

  9. Diggs, Jnr. G.M.; Lipscomb. B. L. & O'Kennon. R. J Illustrated Flora of North Central Texas Botanical Research Institute, Texas. 1999-00-00 http://artemis.austincollege.edu/acad/bio/gdiggs/NCTXpdf.htm

    ↩

  10. Fernald. M. L. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co. 1950-00-00

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  11. Frohne. D. and Pf�nder. J. A Colour Atlas of Poisonous Plants. Wolfe 1984-00-00 ISBN 0723408394

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  12. Phillips. R. and Rix. M. Bulbs Pan Books 1989-00-00 ISBN 0-330-30253-1

    ↩1↩2

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