Erythronium grandiflorum on Mt Prevost, Cowichan Valley

[Diane Whitehead]

I hiked up Mt Prevost, about 700 m high, in mid-April, 2016, to photograph Erythronium grandiflorum.
I have seen it growing on various bigger mountains in the Olympic and Coast ranges, and there
the name makes sense.  On this little mountain, it does not.  The flowers were as tall as my thumb,
and in some cases they barely emerged from the moss before flowering.
   

The plants grow in moss and lichen overlying bedrock.  Chunks of moss were pulled off the rock, perhaps by
an animal wanting to eat the bulbs, but when I looked underneath one chunk, the bulbs were still there, a bit
flattened by the rock it had been growing against.  [ Specified attachment is not available ]

[Diane Whitehead]

I usually just have the photos stuck at the end of the message, but I have just noticed there are alternative ways of
placing them, so I'm experimenting.



One of the ones above has two flowers on one stem.  I found one plant with four, but it was growing far away from
the moss and lichen, in deep enough soil that grass was able to grow.

Here is the usual habitat:

[Ian Y]

Thank you - I am so pleased to see your pictures of this form growing in habitat Diane, it is in flower here in Aberdeen just now.

The habitat is interesting as I have a picture of other Erythroniums growing in just that way in the moss that has formed on the top of rocks around the edges of a bed.

[Maggi Young]

Diane - what an outstanding little form - you'd think that was worthy of subspecific status, wouldn't you?

I must say I find it fascinating how these bulbs can adapt to growing in such shallow "soils" when usually they are capable of sending their bulbs downwards at a rate of knots.

[Ian Y]

Here is that same species pictured today,, between the snow showers, in Aberdeen. I have seed from it for the last two years so more seedlings are coming along.

[Diane Whitehead]

It certainly likes your garden, Ian.

I found it odd how it grows on the mountain in widely-spaced patches.  There are lots of areas that look ideal, but have none. 
When I was there before I scattered some seeds where I thought they'd be happy, and I wanted to check on them
this time, but I can't remember exactly where I was before.

 I did find a single plant beside a path, as though a visitor had dropped a seed, and the four-flowered one was also all by itself

I am going to collect some seeds from the lonely plant with four flowers.  It is growing among grass in deeper
soil, and that probably made it stronger, but I am curious as to whether multiple flowers can be inherited.
I will collect some seeds for me, (and Ian?) and also put some in a likely spot on the mountain.

[Ian Y]

The taller of the plants that I show has two flowers Diane so multiple flowers is obviously in the genes if growing conditions are favourable - the plant you show with four flowers is in a happy place.
Oh yes please to your question.

[Diane Whitehead]

Well, the four-flowered one produced no seeds at all.

I've just sent some seeds from single ones to the exchange.

[Darren]

You might all find this paper interesting. I remember sending it to Brian Mathew for mention in his Bulb Newsletter when it first came out.

www.coasttocascades.org/s/tardiffstanford1998.pdf

[Diane Whitehead]

No grizzly bears on Vancouver Island, but black bears are definitely possible.

(regarding grizzlies:  two young males swam over to the Island this year but
were trapped and sent back to the Mainland.)