Erythronium
(from erythros, red, the colour of the flowers in the European species; Erythronion is the name given by Dioscorides to a kind of Orchis). Dog's-tooth Violet. ORD. Liliaceae. A genus of seven species of very ornamental dwarf, stemless, hardy, bulbous plants, of which one species is dispersed through Europe, Asiatic Russia to Japan, and the rest are North American. Flowers on a scape, solitary, pendulous; perianth segments six, erect or reflexed. Leaves radical, ovate, or ovate-lanceolate. They succeed in almost any light soil, but prefer a mixture of loam and peat. Propagated by offsets, which are produced freely when the plants do well. The best time for obtaining them, or for replanting, is immediately the leaves die away, after flowering. Erythroniums have a better effect when planted in groups than if placed in very small quantities separately; the bulbs should be inserted about 3in. deep. If left untouched afterwards, an annual top-dressing of good soil will be advantageous. Erythroniums succeed best in a sheltered position on a rockery, but are also suitable for the front line of mixed borders, or for shrubberies. They may also be grown in pots, in a cold frame, for greenhouse decoration when in flower. The flowers appear in March and April, and are attractive outside at that early season.
E. americanum (American).* fl. bright yellow, about 1in. across; perianth segments spreading, oblong-lanceolate, obtuse. l. elliptical-lanceolate, recurved at top, dotted and marbled with violet and white. h. 3in. to 6in. North America. (B. M. 1113.)
E. dens-canis.* Dog's-tooth Violet. fl. purplish-rose or whitish, about 2in. in diameter, solitary, drooping. l. blotched with purple-brown and white, radical, stalked, broadly-oval, rounded at the base, acuminated. h. 6in. Europe, 1596. (B. M. 5.) There are several forms, varying in the colour of the flowers.
E. grandiflorum (large-flowered). fl. yellow or cream-colour, with a more or less orange base, solitary or often in a raceme of two to six or more; segments lanceolate and somewhat acuminate, strongly recurved, 1in. to 2in. long. l. not mottled, always closely approximate, oblong-lanceolate, 3in. to 6in. long, with broad, usually short petioles. North-west America. (B. R. 1786.)
E. g. giganteum (gigantic). fl. white, with a yellow and orange base, large. l. mottled. Washington Territory. (B. M. 5714.)