Erythronium pluriflorum
Encyclopedia
Erythronium pluriflorum is a species of rare flowering plant in the lily family
which is known by the common names manyflower fawn lily and Shuteye Peak fawn lily.
, where it grows in isolated populations along the San Joaquin River
and its tributaries in the Sierra Nevada. One of its common names refers to Shuteye Peak, one of very few places it exists. The plant was not described until 1990.
4 to 7 centimeters wide and produces two oval-shaped green leaves. It erects thin, naked stalks which may be 8 to over 30 centimeters tall, each stalk bearing one to ten flowers. The flower has bright yellow curly tepal
s each one to three centimeters long which age to a brown or orange color. The other flower parts are also yellow.
Liliaceae
The Liliaceae, or the lily family, is a family of monocotyledons in the order Liliales. Plants in this family have linear leaves, mostly with parallel veins but with several having net venation , and flower arranged in threes. Several have bulbs, while others have rhizomes...
which is known by the common names manyflower fawn lily and Shuteye Peak fawn lily.
Distribution
It is endemic to Madera County, CaliforniaMadera County, California
Madera County is a county of the U.S. state of California, located in the Central Valley and the Sierra Nevada north of Fresno County. It comprises the Madera-Chowchilla, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census the population was 150,865...
, where it grows in isolated populations along the San Joaquin River
San Joaquin River
The San Joaquin River is the largest river of Central California in the United States. At over long, the river starts in the high Sierra Nevada, and flows through a rich agricultural region known as the San Joaquin Valley before reaching Suisun Bay, San Francisco Bay, and the Pacific Ocean...
and its tributaries in the Sierra Nevada. One of its common names refers to Shuteye Peak, one of very few places it exists. The plant was not described until 1990.
Description
This wildflower grows from a bulbBulb
A bulb is a short stem with fleshy leaves or leaf bases. The leaves often function as food storage organs during dormancy.A bulb's leaf bases, known as scales, generally do not support leaves, but contain food reserves to enable the plant to survive adverse conditions. At the center of the bulb is...
4 to 7 centimeters wide and produces two oval-shaped green leaves. It erects thin, naked stalks which may be 8 to over 30 centimeters tall, each stalk bearing one to ten flowers. The flower has bright yellow curly tepal
Tepal
Tepals are elements of the perianth, or outer part of a flower, which include the petals or sepals. The term tepal is more often applied specifically when all segments of the perianth are of similar shape and color, or undifferentiated, which is called perigone...
s each one to three centimeters long which age to a brown or orange color. The other flower parts are also yellow.