Erythronium

[Paddy Tobin]

This series of posts has been an absolute pleasure to read and, of course, the photographs have been mouth watering. Many thanks, especially to those from North America who have posted photographs of erythronium growing in the wild. It is always a special pleasure and very informative to see plants in their natural habitat.

My own growing experience with erythroniums has not been extensive. I failed  miserably with seed on several occasions, germinating them with ease but failing to keep the young seedlings through the winter. I finally found a method which suited me. When the seedlings had reached a good size - in their first year - I planted them out, all in the one group as they were in the pot and they have thrived in the open garden. I suppose it is that they are left to their own devices and safe from  my interfering care.

Many thanks for the pleasure of reading and viewing your posts.

Paddy

[Joakim B]

Thanks for the interesting and very educational discussion. It strengthens my interest in the plants.
Together with pictures it is almot as having an excursion at the place. Very enjoying.
Thanks
Joakim

[johanneshoeller]

2 Erythronium dens-canis

Hans

[David Nicholson]

Nice plant Hans. I must get some Erythroniums.

[Susan Band]

A few Erythroniums which are flowering now.
Erythronium hendersonii - my all time favorite
A hybrid from hendersonii - prob crossed with White Beauty- making it onto the leader board
A lovely hybrid from a dark revolutum crossed prob with White Beauty
One which has lost its label - very distintive yellow backs to petals- maybe multiscapodium. Help please to name it. It will have been grown from Ron Ratko seed. Mottled leaves

[Ed Alverson]

Susan, I enjoyed seeing your photos, especially the hybrids.  To id the one that has lost its label, take a look at the other side of the flower - if it has long stigma lobes, filiform (rather than flattened) anther filaments, and white anthers, it should be E. multiscapoideum.  E. californicum is similar but has short stubby stigma lobes.  E. helenae has yellow anthers and short stubby stigma lobes.  Also check Ian's recent article in the SRGC journal for photos of these species to compare with your plant.

Speaking of Erythronium hybrids, the Erythronium that is most available as bulbs from commercial sources is "Pagoda".  I have had it growing in my garden for a number of years and to be honest I don't quite know what to think of it.  It grows very well and forms numerous offsets (I've given many away) but the leaves are too big for the plant (so the flowers are not well displayed) and being a hybrid between a yellow flowers species and a white flowered species, the flower color is a sort of a muddy pale yellow.  But this year it looks better (maybe the weather has helped?), and when I took a photo of the flowers illuminated by the warm evening sun, it looks kinda nice.  So I guess I'll keep it!

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Beautiful plants Susan - I love them all !


I don't think I'd ever get rid of Pagoda Ed - it's not the nicest one in the world, but at least it does good with me...
Here's mine flowering it's heart out !

[Paddy Tobin]

Susan,

E. hendersonii is absolutely beautiful, a real stunner.

Have a look, please, at the erythronium posted below which you gave me when you were in Cork last autumn. It has grown well but I have forgotten the name.

Erythronium from Susan
E. multiscapoides
E. tuolumnense

Paddy

[Susan Band]

Paddy, I would think it would be White Beauty I was handing out. Are the leaves very spectacularly marked? if so I was being extra generous and it is californicum.

[Paddy Tobin]

Susan,

Please, have a look at this photograph as it shows the foliage.

Paddy

[Afloden]

Hello,
 
 I was very confused by the many collections I had at first. Then one year I was determined to figure them all out and see what was what. Now I know, but knowing the range also really helps. All my umbilicatum are from the coastal plain & peidmont of North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, and Georgia. I have avoided the E.u.var monostolon. I like the one bulb that does not run in the species.

 I grow very few americanum. I like the foilage, but the lack of flowers bothers me. I have seen areas where there were a decent number of flowering individuals, but....

 Rostratum is my favorite. Reproduces well, sets seed, and has large (3 inches/7.5cm) out and upward-ish facing fragrant flowers.

 I'll see what seed set I get after the 5 days of freezing weather and lows of 18F last week. So many things look like frozen lettuce now. Bulbs are an option for trade.

 The southeast is great. Early spring is awesome, but so is the summer. I have only seen a small piece of the northwest. I have seen the acres of E.grandiflorum at Glacier NP in Montana. My grandparents live only a half hour away from their. It is astonishing to see them by the millions even if the species is somewhat boring by comparison.

 I am in Kansas (in school and working at the herbarium), but have traveled extensively in the southeast exploring and botanizing, mostly botanizing, the past 7 years. Seems strange that of all the things I have seen, I discovered a new plant species (not Erythronium) almost in my own backyard!

[Susan Band]

Paddy, it is white beauty

[Susan Band]

Hi Aaron
Thanks for showing us the Erythronium pics, its good to get another perpective on them.
You are right, the names are a bit of a mess.
I would love to try E. rostratum, I don't think it is in general circulation here and it would be great to get the real thing from the start.
If you have a few spare seeds or bulbs I will trade, only problem is getting them into USA.

[jomowi]

Aaron

Great Erythronium pictures which together with the explainations have shown me several plants I am unfamiliar with.  Like Susan I would love to get some seed.  I am not sure that I have much to offer in return as apart from the Western Erythroniums I grow few bulbs.  Even my Erythroniums are not as good as those of the BD, Ian Y, although the Western species grow and seed well in my garden.  I do however grow other non bulbous genera if you let me know what particularly you might be interested in perhaps I can help.

Brian Wilson  Aberdeen

[Diane Clement]

A couple for comment.  I was given these by Gwen Baker (yes, the famous one) as she has to move out of her house.  I am pretty sure the first is White Beauty.  But is the second?  One plant in the second group has fantastically dark patterned leaves.
erythronium1
erythronium2