Erythronium tuolumnense

Tuolumne fawn lily

Family: Liliaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.2

Tuolumne fawn lily is a rare (CNPS 1B.2) California native perennial found in central Sierra Nevada foothills (Tuolumne County) in open woodland and shady canyons at elevations of 600 to 1,000 meters. Flowering from March to June, this plant produces bright yellow flowers with delicate inner perianth parts that have small sac-like folds at the base. Growing with slender stems 15 to 35 centimeters tall, it emerges from an ovoid bulb that readily produces sessile bulblets. Its leaves are 15 to 35 centimeters long, elliptic to ovate in shape, with entire to slightly wavy margins in a rich green color. The plant's delicate yellow flowers are borne on green to reddish stems, with 1 to 5 blooms per inflorescence.

Habitat: Open woodland, shady canyons

Bloom period: Mar-Jun

Elevation: 600-1000 m

Bioregions: c SNF (Tuolumne Co.).

California counties: Tuolumne, Alameda, Nevada

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.