Erythronium 2008

[Ed Alverson]

But I digress...So, the question here is whether this population could be the original wild source of the Erythronium strain that is known in cultivation as the "Sulphur Form".  Ian indicated that the "Sulphur Form" is a form of E. oregonum ssp. leucandrum, which is found primarily to the south of Portland, in the Willamette Valley and particularly in the Umpqua and Rogue valleys.  Ssp. oregonum, on the other hand, is the only ssp. that occurs north of Portland, and to the south, ssp. oregonum is primarily (though not exclusively) found at higher elevations than ssp. oregonum.

These plants had the white tepals (with a tint of yellowish green on the outer base), and dark yellow anthers, of ssp. oregonum.  Ssp. leucandrum, on the other hand, has white or pale cream anthers, and a creamy tinge to the tepals.  So I feel pretty confident that the plants at Kelly Butte in Portland are ssp. oregonum.  They are, however, an exceptional form, with tepals 2 1/2 inches long, and plants 18" tall in flower.  It was great to see them, especially on such as nice sunny day.  One plant in particular has especially dark leaf marbling, though the flowers on that plant were smaller and not opening fully.

Since haven't seen the "Sulphur Form" as it is grown in gardens, I can't say definitively whether it may have originated at the Portland Kelly Butte.  Does anyone have a photo of this form they could post?  At this point, however, there are several alternate versions of the story that should be explored.  One possibility is that the "Sulphur Form" came from another Kelly Butte, as there is a site with the same name in southern Oregon.  Another possibility is that the plants or seeds that were the source of the original plants of the "Sulphur Form" were from a garden that had plants from multiple localities, and there was a mix-up in the labels or memory of the person who was raising the plants.  Someone who has been gardening in the Portland area for a long time might be able to shed more light on this question.

I should also mention companion plants at this site.  Trillium ovatum was quite common, and there were large carpets of Vancouveria hexandra as well.  Cardamine nuttallii was common though mostly past bloom, and Maianthemum racemosum (Smilacina racemosa) was present, along with a few patches of Cynoglossum grande, uncommon here where it is near its northern range limit.  The overstory was Douglas-fir, bigleaf maple, with an understory mostly of vine maple and hazel.

Ed

[Diane Whitehead]

Ed,

Thank you for remembering, and driving up to photograph them.

[Ed Alverson]

Kelly Butte was only part of my Erythronium search on Saturday.  I also had time to visit the Camassia Natural Area, also near Portland but about 10 miles south of Kelly Butte.  This is a small (26 acre) preserve that is known for its abundance of Camassia quamash a little later in the spring.  It is a series of rocky plateaus above the Willamette River, with views of Mt. Hood in the distance.  It is very much a natural rock garden.

Erythronium oregonum, however, grows mostly in the shady forest of mixed hardwoods and conifers, in humusy soil over rocks.  I have been to Camassia many times, but now that I think of it, never when the Erythronium was blooming.  I was very surprised to see that this population fits the characteristics of ssp. leucandrum, with pale anthers and a slight creamy tinge to the tepals. 

Again it was a great day to photograph Erythroniums, given the warm dry conditions and peak condition of the flowers.

Another interesting difference between this site and the Erythronium population at Kelly Butte is that on most plants at Camassia, the flowers were very much smaller, with narrower tepals, mostly about 1.5 - 2 inches long.  Again, it is hard to say whether the difference is genetic or due to the habitat differences, but if it is genetic, this population would be a less desirable source of garden plants than the Kelly Butte population.  (And either way, these plants are scarce enough that they should not be collected as bulbs, and seed collection, if permitted, should be judicious).

Finally, I noted several plants of E. oregonum that had a third leaf coming up from the base of the plant.  This appears, to me, to be an indication that the plants are capable of producing offsets from the parent corm, and uncommon trait in E. oregonum.

Ed

[ranunculus]

Super images Ed....thanks a million.

[Luc Gilgemyn]

W O N D E R F U L ! 
Thanks for taking us along on your hike Ed !

[Gerry Webster]

Ed - Can I second your request for a photo of E.oregonum 'Sulphur Form'? Your posts have convinced me that the plants I have under that name are, in fact, something else. They have pale yellow flowers and yellow anthers. The fat filaments  suggest some affinity with E.oregonum.

[Ian Y]

Ed thanks for your great pictures and research results it is almost as good as being with you.
I have attached pictures o what have as Erythronium oregonum leucandrum  and the sulphur form both of which I think are the same thing.
They come true from seed with some variation in leaf markings and some flowers have some brown markings towards the centre zone. The anthers are always pale and can vary from a very pale greeny yellow to almost white.
This is also the same plant that I have seen going around in the UK wrongly named  E citrinum which can be easily distinguished by the shape of the filaments. To add further to this confusion there are a number of good E citrinum hybrids possibly with E. oregonum going around - I will post pictures of these soon as they open.
Below are pictures of
Erythronium oregonum sulphur form
Erythronium Oregonum leucandrum 
Erythronium Oregonum leucandrum 
I will take new ones in the coming weeks as the flowers open - if the weather would only improve.

[Ian Y]

A few more pictures of Erythronium oregonum from my files which add another entity into the picture.

First two forms of Erythronium oregonum oregonum with yellow pollen and white tepals then Erythronium oregonum leucandrum with pale pollen and greeny yelow tepals then an intermediate form that has yellow pollen and greeny yellow tepals.

I do have some forms that seem intermediate between oregonum and leucandrum - may be that is what has been called the sulphur form but it was not what I got as the sulphur form.

This intermediate was raise from seed andf I have lost the source, it could have been our own garden seed.

Erythronium oregonum oregonum 1
Erythronium oregonum oregonum 2
Erythronium oregonum leucandrum
Erythronium oregonum intermediate

[Diane Whitehead]

Ian,

The top photo of your post just above this, Erythronium oregonum oregonum 1, has
lovely central marks, quite unlike any I have seen in our area.

I have picked thousands in my lifetime, almost all more than sixty years ago, when
it was a spring ritual to pick big bunches of what we called Easter Lilies.  I can't
remember any without brown marks.

[Diane Whitehead]

Ed showed a picture of some wild oregonum with a third leaf, which he thought might
indicate multiplication from the bulb, rather than from seed, as is normal.

It sent me out into my garden to see if I might have some clumpers.

These are pink erythroniums that have been seeding in my garden for several
generations (plant, not people generations).  The source was an area near Skutz
Falls where dark pink revolutum grew in quaggy areas along a stream and white
oregonum grew on a dry wooded hillside.  The pale pink flowers growing along the
road between hill and stream are probably hybrids.

The first picture shows what most of my plants are like:  close together, but
varying in flower colour and leaf markings.  Each plant is seed-grown. 

The second picture might show a plant that is multiplying by bulb.  The plants
look identical and are very close together.

[Ian Y]

Diane, I have had E. oregonum from may sources mostly of wild origin but some from cultivation plus ofcourse I am sowing most of my own seed so I am seeing variations.

As to clumping my best E. oregonum has been a single flowering bulb for about five years this year there is a third leaf suggesting it will split - there is always hope fora good clump if I can live long enough.

I do have some E. revolutums that do clump up but not at any great speed it takes about five years to make a resonable group.

Most hybrids on the other hand seem to increase well and that is why they are so desirable.

[Paul T]

Wonderful pics Ed, Ian and Diane.  Diane, I particularly like your pink "weeds" that are seeding everywhere!!    I could do with that sort of problem.   

[mark smyth]

Here are a few from Margaret Glynn's garden taken today.
?
?
?
E. americanum
E. revolutum
? and revolutum in the background

[Paul T]

All beautiful pics Mark.  Just loving this thread!! 

[mark smyth]

Weather permitting I'll be back in the garden next Friday.

Ian Y. any idea what the cream Erythroniums are?