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Erythronium oregonum

White Fawn Lily

At a Glance: Showy white lily from segmented corm.

Height: Flower stem up to 1 feet (30 cm) tall.
Growth Form: Herb.
Leaves: Basal, paired, lance to oblong shaped, to 20 cm (8 in) long, pale glossy green with dark brown mottling.
Flowers: Tepals (petals) white with yellow bases, bent back; anthers yellow. Flowers usually single terminal and nodding.
Flowering Period: March, April, May.
Fruits: Erect, broadly-club shaped capsules 3-4 cm long, notched near tip; size: 3-4 cm (1-1.5 in) long.


Photo © Starflower Foundation

Sun/Shade Tolerance	Hydrology	Elevation Range
full sun > 80% mostly sunny 60%-80% partial sun and shade 40%- 60% mostly shady 60%-80% full shade > 80%	wet moist dry Wetland Indicator Status: NI (no indicator data)	low elevation mid elevation sub-alpine high elevation

Soil Preferences
sandy soils gravelly soils clay soils muddy soils peaty soils	well drained soils shallow soils deep soils acidic soils basic soils	humic soils nutrient rich soils nutrient poor soils mineral soils organic soils

Habitat Preferences
Aquatic and Wetland: Ponds or lakes Shallow pools Sloughs Swales or wet ditches Seasonally inundated areas Marshes or swamps Aquatic bed wetlands Emergent wetlands Scrub-shrub wetlands Forested wetlands Bogs, fens Seeps, springs Shorelines and Riparian: Lake shores Bog margins Streams or rivers Stream or river banks Riparian corridors River bars Floodplains Bottomlands Alluvial areas	Saltwater Areas: In or near saltwater Mud flats Tidal areas Estuaries Saltmarshes Brackish water Seashores Coastal dunes or beaches Rocky or Gravelly Areas: Coastal bluffs Cliffs Rocky slopes Outcrops Crevices Glacial outwash Gullies Slide areas Sub-alpine and Alpine: Heaths Snow beds Tundra Avalanche tracks	Forests and Thickets: Forests and woods Open forests Coniferous forests Old growth forests Deciduous forests Mixed forests Nurse logs Forest edges, openings, or clearings Thickets Meadows and Fields: Pastures or fields Meadows or grassy areas Mossy areas Disturbed Areas: Roadsides Trailsides Logged sites Burned areas Disturbed sites

Wildlife Value

(data not available)

Ethnobotanical Uses and Other Facts

Landscape Uses: Good in a woodland garden when planted in masses. Dies back in winter.
Name Info: "Fawn" comes from John Burroughs who so named it because he thought the two leaves looked like the pricked ears of a fawn. "Erythronium" comes from the Greek erythros for red, some of the pink species were used to make dye.

Suggested References

Hickman, J.C., ed. 1993. The Jepson Manual: Higher Plants of California. University of California Press. Page 1192.
Hitchcock, C.L., A. Cronquist. 1973. Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press. Page 690.
Jacobson A.L. 2001. Wild Plants of Greater Seattle. Published by author. Page 415.
Link, R. 1999. Landscaping for Wildlife in the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press. Page 223.
Lyons, C., W. Merilees. Trees and Shrubs to Know in Washington and British Columbia. Lone Pine Publishing. Page 185.
Pojar, J., A. Mackinnon. 1994. Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast. Lone Pine Publishing. Page 104.

The landscaping and restoration information provided on this page is taken from Starflower Foundation Image Herbarium. All photographs © Starflower Foundation unless otherwise noted.