Pink Fawn Lily, Mahogany fawnlily
Erythronium revolutum
Family: Liliaceae
What it is like
Erythronium revolutum is a BULB growing to 0.3 m (1ft) by 0.2 m (0ft 8in). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 5 and is not frost tender. It is in flower from April to May. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs). Suitable for: light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland). It prefers moist soil.
Height (m): 0.3
Where it is found
Redwood forest and mixed evergreen forest, edges of bogs and along wooded streams, from the coast to 1000 metres.
South-western N. America - Vancouver Island, south to N. California.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 3
Bulb - raw or cooked. It can also be dried and stored for later use. The bulbs are usually harvested in the spring as the first leaves appear above ground, they can be stored for some months in a cool place. The raw bulb has a slightly bitter milky taste, the texture is cool and moist inside and so the North American Indians liked eating them on hot days. The cooked bulb has a more starchy texture. The Indians always drank water after eating the bulbs because they believed that otherwise they would get sick. The ovoid bulb is 35 - 50mm long.
Root: includes bulbs, corms, tubers, rhizomes etc.
Medicine
Rating: 0
Other
Rating:
How it is grown
Prefers slightly acid soil conditions but succeeds in chalky soils if these contain plenty of humus. Requires semi-shade, preferably provided by trees or shrubs, and a well-drained soil. Succeeds in almost any light soil, preferring one that is rich in humus. Plants are hardy to about -15°c. The sub-species E. revolutum johnstonii is growing well, flowering freely and spreading nicely in the dappled shade of a woodland garden at Kew. It does not, however, produce new bulbs freely by division, relying instead upon self-sown seedlings. There are a number of named garden forms, 'Pink Beauty' has been specially mentioned as easy to grow in Britain. Flowers are produced in 3 - 4 years from seed. Bulbs should be planted about 7cm deep.
Propagating it: Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a shady position in a cold frame. Water lightly in summer, it should germinate in autumn or winter. Stored seed requires a period of cold stratification. Sow as early in spring as possible in a cold frame. Sow the seed thinly so that it will not be necessary to prick them out for their first year of growth. Give an occasional liquid feed to the seedlings to make sure that they do not become nutrient deficient. When the plants are dormant, pot up the small bulbs putting 2 - 3 bulbs in each pot. Grow them on in a shady position in the greenhouse for another 2 3 years and then plant them out into their permanent positions when they are dormant in late summer. Division of the bulbs in the summer as the leaves die down. Larger bulbs can be replanted immediately into their permanent positions, but it is best to pot up smaller bulbs and grow them on in a shady position in a greenhouse for a year before planting them out when dormant in late summer.
Best place to grow: Woodland Garden Dappled Shade; Shady Edge;
Habit: Bulb
Hardiness: 4-8
Growth:
Soil: Light (sandy), medium
Shade: Semi-shade
Moisture: Moist
Things to keep in mind
Although no records of toxicity have been seen for this species, the following notes have been seen for another member of this genus and so some caution is advised. Skin contact with the bulbs has been known to cause dermatitis in sensitive people.