Erythronium grandiflorum

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Erythronium grandiflorum
Light:Part Shade
Moisture:Xeric Mesic
Hardiness:5
Soil pH:5.6-8.4
Height:0.5'
Width:0.3'
Blooms:Mid Spring
Open Woods Forest
Native to:
Edible Rating:PFAF Edibility RatingPFAF Edibility RatingPFAF Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating:PFAF Medicinal RatingPFAF Medicinal RatingPFAF Medicinal Rating
Tea:Yes
Poisonous

Erythronium grandiflorum (common name: avalanche lily)

Propagation: 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[1][2]. Stored seed requires a period of cold stratification[1]. 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 of the bulbs in the summer as the leaves die down[3]. Larger bulbs can be replanted immediately into their permanent positions, but it is best to pot up smaller bulbs and grow them on in a shady position in a greenhouse for a year before planting them out when dormant in late summer.

Cultivation: Prefers slightly acid soil conditions but succeeds in chalky soils if these contain plenty of humus[1]. Requires semi-shade, preferably provided by trees or shrubs, and a well-drained soil[4][1]. Succeeds in almost any light soil, preferring one that is rich in humus[3]. Not an easy species to grow in Britain, it prefers a well-drained soil that is wet in spring but rather dry in the summer[5]. Plants are best given perfect drainage[2].

Offsets are freely produced if the plant is growing well[3].

Flowers are produced in 3 - 4 years from seed[1].

Bulbs should be planted about 7cm deep[3].

Range: Western N. America - British Columbia to California, east to Alberta, Wyoming and Colorado.

Habitat: Sagebrush, open woodland and grassy mountain slopes, sometimes to the tree line[4][5]. Rich moist soil along the banks of streams, shaded woods and sub-alpine meadows, often in large patches[6].

Edibility: Bulb - raw or cooked[7][8][9][10][11]. The bulbs are usually harvested in the spring as the first leaves appear above ground, they can be stored for some months in a cool place[12]. The raw bulb has a slightly bitter milky taste, the texture is cool and moist inside and so the North American Indians liked eating them on hot days[12]. The cooked bulb has a more starchy texture and a sweet flavour[12][11]. Stored bulbs develop a sweeter flavour when cooked than fresh bulbs[11]. The Indians always drank water after eating the bulbs because they believed that otherwise they would get sick[12]. Large quantities can have an emetic effect[9]. The bulbs can also be dried for later use[13].

Leaves - raw or cooked[9][14]. Eating the leaves will greatly reduce the vigour of the bulb, so can only be recommended in times of emergency[K].

Young seedpods - raw or cooked[14][6]. The cooked pods taste like French beans[6].

Medicinal: The pulverized root was applied to boils and as a wet dressing on skin sores[15][11].

Pollinators: Insects

Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.

Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.

Seed Ripens: Late Spring-Early Summer

Flower Type: Hermaphrodite

Known Hazards: Skin contact with the bulbs has been known to cause dermatitis in sensitive people[16].

Links

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Bird, Alfred. Growing from Seed Volume 4. Thompson and Morgan, 1990.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Grey, Charles. Hardy Bulbs. Williams & Norgate, 1938.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Phillips, Roger and Martyn Rix. Bulbs. Pan Books, 1989.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Davis, Ray and Frank Craighead. A Field Guide to Rocky Mountain Wildflowers. The Riverside Press, 1963.
  7. ↑ Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
  8. ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Harrington, Harold. Edible Native Plants of the Rocky Mountains. University of New Mexico Press, 1967.
  10. ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 Turner, Nancy. Food Plants of Coastal First Peoples. UBC Press Vancouver, 1995.
  13. ↑ Coffey, Timothy. The History and Folklore of North American Wild Flowers. Facts on File, 1993.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Coon, Nelson. The Dictionary of Useful Plants. Rodale Press, 1975.
  15. ↑ Weiner, Michael. Earth Medicine, Earth Food. Ballantine Books, 1980.
  16. ↑ Frohne, Dietrich and Hans Pfänder. J. A Colour Atlas of Poisonous Plants. Timber Press, 1984.


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