Erythronium mesochoreum explained

Erythronium mesochoreum, the prairie fawn lily or midland fawnlily, is a plant species in the lily family, native to the US states of Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas and Arkansas.[1] [2]

Erythronium mesochoreum forms flattened to egg-shaped corms up to 25 mm long. The corms grow offsets in a manner similar to tulips, creating new plants as well as setting seed. Leaves are elliptic to lanceolate, up to 14 cm long. Scape is up to 15 cm tall, bearing only one flower. Tepals are spreading at flowering time, white with blue or purple tinge on the underside and a yellow spot on the upper side. Anthers are yellow, and style is white.[3] [4] [5]

Cultivation

Prairie fawn lily is grown by wildflower gardeners particularly in areas in or near its habitat in the plains. It shows some adaptation to being grown in drier areas such as South Dakota.[6]

Notes and References

  1. http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/namedetail.do?name_id=305791 Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
  2. http://bonap.net/MapGallery/County/Erythronium%20mesochoreum.png Biota of North America Program 2014 county distribution map
  3. http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=242101596 Flora of North America v 26 p 163
  4. Knerr, Ellsworth Brownell. 1891. Midland College Monthly 2: 5.
  5. Knerr, Ellsworth Brownell. 1891. Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science 13: 20.
  6. Book: Barr . Claude A. . Jewels of the plains : wild flowers of the Great Plains grasslands and hills . 1983 . University of Minnesota Press . Minneapolis . 0-8166-1127-0 . 78–79.