ERYTHRONrUM 



THE BULB BOOK 



EEYTHRONIUM 



Japan. It has ovoid-cylindrical corms 

 resembling a dog's tooth, and ovate or 

 oblong, lance-shaped, glaucous green 

 leaves marbled with dull purple. The 

 peduncles appear in February and 

 March, each from 4 to 6 ins. high, 

 bearing a .solitary flower of a beautiful 

 rose or violet-purple (rarely white), 

 with brown dots at the base of the 

 recurved segments. Besides the rare 

 white forms there are others, called 

 purpureum, roseum, and violacewn, 

 according to the shades of colour. 

 The Siberian form, sibirica, has purple 



FiQ. 127. — Ernth/roniwm dens-eanii. (iO 



flowers, and is a more vigorous plant 

 than the type, while the Japanese 

 form, japonicum, has violet - purple 

 flowers. (£ot. Mag. t. 5; Hed. Lil. 

 t. 194 ; Gard. 1896, t. 573.) 



B. giganteum. — The species hither- 

 to known under this name is now 

 called E. californicum. The true E. 

 gigamteum is a native of "Oregon, 

 Washington, and Southern British 



Columbia, growing in heavy lands 

 along streams and damp spots in 

 woods." It has obovate lance-shaped 

 leaves mottled in light brown and 

 white. The tall stout scape rarely 

 carries more than one flower, which 

 has pure white petals tinted with 

 green, and with or without a reddish 

 band above the auricled base. The 

 variety prcecox has creamy - white 

 flowers and richly mottled leaves. 



E. grandlflorum. — A pretty species 

 6 ins. or more high, native of the 

 mountains of Idaho, Washington, etc.. 



211 



Fia. 128. — Erythronium grandifiorum. (§.) 



with erect oblanceolate unmottled 

 leaves, and bright golden - yellow 

 flowers about 3 ins. across, with 

 crimson stamens, borne in March and 

 April, usually two on a stem (Bot. 

 Beg. 1. 1786). 



The variety alhiflorum has white 

 flowers tinged with green. The 

 variety parviflorvim, is the same as the 

 plant grown as Nuttalliarvum, and 

 being more common than the type 



