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Taxon  Report  
Erythronium grandiflorum  Pursh
Glacier lily,   Yellow avalanche lily
Erythronium grandiflorum is a perennial herb (bulb) that is native to California, and also found elsewhere in North America and beyond.
Siskiyou Del Norte Modoc Humboldt Shasta Lassen Trinity Plumas Tehama Butte Mendocino Glenn Sierra Yuba Lake Nevada Colusa Placer Sutter El Dorado Yolo Alpine Napa Sonoma Sacramento Mono Amador Solano Calaveras Tuolumne San Joaquin Marin Contra Costa Alameda Santa Cruz Mariposa Madera San Francisco San Mateo Merced Fresno Stanislaus Santa Clara Inyo San Benito Tulare Kings Monterey San Bernardino San Luis Obispo Kern Santa Barbara Ventura Los Angeles Riverside Orange San Diego Imperial
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Bloom Period
Subspecies and Varieties:
Genus: Erythronium
Family: Liliaceae  
Category: angiosperm  
PLANTS group:Monocot
Jepson eFlora section: monocot

Toxicity: Do not eat any part of this plant.

Wetlands: Occurs usually in non wetlands, occasionally in wetlands

Communities: Douglas-Fir Forest, Yellow Pine Forest

Name Status:
Accepted by PLANTS

Information about  Erythronium grandiflorum from other sources
Nursery availability from CNPLX
This plant is available commercially.
USDA PLANTS Profile (ERGR9)

Photos on Calflora

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Google Images

Photos on iNaturalist

ID Tips on PlantID.net

[Wikipedia] Range, Habitat, Ecology: Erythronium grandiflorum is a North American species of plants in the lily family.[1] It is known by several common names, including yellow avalanche lily, glacier lily, and dogtooth fawn lily.[2][3] The Ktunaxa name for glacier lily is maxa.[4] It is native to western North America from British Columbia and Alberta south to New Mexico and California, though it has not been reported from Arizona or Nevada.[7] It can be found in subalpine mountain meadows, slopes, and clearings.[1][8] The flower is pollinated by bumblebees and other bees. The bulbs are an important and preferred food of the grizzly bear. Mule deer readily eat the foliage.[9][10][11] After hummingbirds migrate 1,500 miles each year from Mexico to the Rocky Mountains of Colorado they collect energy from the nectar of the lilies, however, rising temperatures from global warming cause the flowers to bloom, and also to wither, earlier each year. As of 2023, the danger is foreseen that in 20 years the birds may arrive from their long migration to find their usually reliable nourishment unavailable because of premature withering.[12] (link added by Mary Ann Machi)


Suggested Citation
Calflora: Information on California plants for education, research and conservation, with data contributed by public and private institutions and individuals. [web application]. 2024. Berkeley, California: The Calflora Database [a non-profit organization]. Available: https://www.calflora.org/   (Accessed: 11/21/2024).