ERYTHROCH.ETE 



EHYTHROCHfflTE, 



ERYTHHOCHSTON. See kept back 



EEYTHEONIUM (from the Greek word for red). 

 LUi&eew. Dog's-Tooth Violet. Adder's Tongue. 

 Handsome plants of the north temperate zone. Four 

 belong to the Old World, four to eastern N. America, 

 one is found in the Rocky mountains, while in the cool 

 woods and high mountains from northern California to 

 the British possessions the genus is represented by 

 nine species and a number of well marked varieties. 

 Erythroniums have bulbs standing erect and from ob- 

 long to linear in form, two radical leaves, which in most 

 species are handsomely mottled : scape slender and 

 leafless, producing from one to many flowers. The peri- 

 anth consists of six similar divisions, usually recurved, 

 six stamens and a single S lobed st\le The species 

 are confused and are much in nted of revision See 



Watson, Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts & Sci. l-4:2r,0 ; 22-A7H. 

 Baker, Journ. Linn. Soe. 14:29G. Weathers, U.C, III. 

 20:301. 



The Erythroiiimn- :.v m--! ihi.i'i ^:ii,- --lii,-- ilnw- 

 ers. They suecci ■: I' ' l! ■•' : ' ' :i par- 



tial shade. In r^.i . ^ .1 : nials, 



especially those ■. m. ; 1 i ,■ -. iln-y 



profit bv a wintir im.jI. I. ..1 I, ,,,. > ..1 ini.-r. TK,- west- 

 ern Erythroniums :ul- all pliuits uf the cmuI woodlands, 

 except a few whifh grow at sucli altitiulc-s as to reach 

 like conditions. They tlirivi- best in shade, a thoroughly 

 drained soil, moist and rich in mold, a surface cover- 

 ing of half rotten leaves tending to equalize condi- 

 tions. Any good fibrous material, as fibrous peat, cocoa- 

 nut fiber or spent tan bark, or even well rotted sod, will 

 answer the purpose to lighten the soil and give that 

 abundance of mold they delight in. Pockets in shaded 

 rockwork give ideal situations. They will thrive nat- 

 uralized on cool, wooded slopes, and where the drainage 

 is good will thrive in gr.".ss. The loaves ripen before 

 the grass is cut and tlio rftNrf j- vm- fine. Simply 

 planted in boxes in a Ini--^ ■■'' ri 1 i ■ mold, and left 

 year after year in a sli.nl' "luetimes give 



splendid bloom. £. Um-i :< : ' . .ry early, and 



stands more heat and ilrym ^ il-.m :iuy other variety. 

 E. pitrpurascens and E. miiiitiiinnii, from high altitudes, 

 tend to throw up their growth very late, and are on that 

 account rather diflicult to cult. E. grandiflortim flowers 

 very early, and must be given a cool situation and be 



ERYTHROXIfM 



re any length of stalk. All of the other 

 species are very satisfactory garden plants. 

 The propagation of E. Dens-Cunia and varieties, the 

 eastern American species and E. Martwegii, is by 

 offsets. All of the other western species can be in- 

 creased only by seeds. The eastern species should be 

 planted at least 5 in. deep. 



A. Fls. always solitary, and without a crest near 

 base of inner petals: leaves handsomely mot- 

 tled: offsets /«ic.— Old World species. 



Dens-C&nis, Linn. The European species : in the 

 type fls, are rosy purple or lilac : stem 4-0 in. high. 

 Variations are white, rose-colored or flesh-colored. Var. 

 longifoUum, Hort., varies in its narrower leaves and 

 larger flowers Var Sibiricum Hort., from the Altai 

 Mts is taller —Little known in \mer. gardens. 

 vv El solitary nitlait aoi fen inner petals : pro- 

 du ntq ff t —El tern \uierican species. 



Amencinum "^imth C ini n Adder's Tongue. Fig. 



• L\ mettle 1 H ^ ellow the segments recurved: 

 111! with 1 ng off hoot Ea tern V. S. and Canada, 

 t 111 and \rk Runs into miny forms. The follow- 

 11 11 111 belong with it E lunceoldtum, Pursh; 

 A 1)1 IK Ilium Rnf £ 6»ac(e(»H»i, Boott. 



Albidum \utt Lvs not mottled, narrow: fls. white, 

 \ II w t 1 ase segments recurved. Ont. and N. Y. to 



propullans Grav Lvs small green or slightly mot- 

 1 I II rose colored with jellow base: offsets pro- 

 u 1 turn the stem sheath Southern Ontario and 



AAi Fls S^ sometimes mote {rarely only 1-fld.).- 

 West American species The lvs. are richly 

 mottled, except in E. grandiflonim. The 

 corms do not produce offsets, except in E. 

 Bartwegii. Inner petals with auricles except 

 in E. Howellii. All except E. purpurascens 

 have large and showy fls. 

 B. Style S-eleft. 

 grandifldrum, Pursh {E. ninanthim, Liiidl.). Lvs. 

 unmottled: stem slender, 1-o-fld. : fls. very bright yel- 

 low; petals recurved; anthers yellow. 



Var. tLlbum, Hort. (E. montdnum, Hort.). Like the 

 type, except the fls. are white, yellowish at center, and 

 with a slight greenish cast. 

 Var. minor, Morren. is smaller. 



Nuttalliinum, Si-hiilt. Like A', r/rdiidiflornm, and per- 

 haps a variety of it, but has red anthers. 



HArtwegii, Wats. Bulb-bearing offsets : lvs. mottled : 

 tis. l-i'i. iiiostlv in a sessile umbel, large, light yellow- 

 orauLTe at center. Foothills of the Sierra Nevada 

 mountains in California. G.C. HI. 20:361. 



revoliitum, Smith. Lvs. 1-4, mottled in white and 

 light brown: fls. nearly always 1 or 2; petals 

 and curved; 

 late (awl-shaped) 1 



arge and stout; filaments fro 

 3 deltoid, opening from white tluslied 

 rith pink to pinkish purple, liecoming purple. J.H. 

 111.35:523. 



Var. BoUnderii, Hoit. (E. grandiflditim , var. Smithii, 

 Hook.). Differing from the type in having white fls., 

 tardily becoming purple, and in being smaller. 



Var. Jdlinsoni, Purdy (A'. ./■-' - . 1 -luMlrr). Very 

 similar to the type, but lvs. Ill i.rown and 



looking as if coated in variii-li ' 1 rose with 



orange center. Gn. 51:1100. 1..1 , Mi, ii .p.i; 25:2,5:1. 



Var. praecox, Purdy. Lvs. mottled in mahogany, the 

 most beautifully in any Erythronium : the fls., usually 

 2-4, are creamy "white with orange center. 



Var. Wdtsoni, Purdy. Differs in having a full, creamy 

 white fl., orange at center, and usually banded with 

 brown above the base; in foggy weather the fl. is bell- 

 shaped: lvs. mottled in brown.— One of the finest of 

 Erythroniums. 



