Erythronium hendersonii, Henderson's Fawn Lily, is a member of the Lily family that is endemic to southwest Oregon

Oregon

Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...

, and barely reaching into Northern California

Northern California

Northern California is the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. The San Francisco Bay Area , and Sacramento as well as its metropolitan area are the main population centers...

. It can be locally very abundant within its range which is basically restricted to the Rogue River

Rogue River (Oregon)

The Rogue River in southwestern Oregon in the United States flows about in a generally westward direction from the Cascade Range to the Pacific Ocean. Known for its salmon runs, whitewater rafting, and rugged scenery, it was one of the original eight rivers named in the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act...

, and Applegate River

Applegate River

The Applegate River is a long tributary of the Rogue River in the U.S. state of Oregon. It drains approximately . Rising in northern California, it soon crosses the border and flows northeast then northwest to meet the Rogue about west of Grants Pass...

 drainages in Josephine County and Jackson County

Jackson County, Oregon

-National protected areas:* Cascade–Siskiyou National Monument* Crater Lake National Park * Klamath National Forest * Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest * Umpqua National Forest -Demographics:...

 in Oregon

Oregon

Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...

, and barely into northern Siskiyou County in California.

Description

It blooms early in the southern part of its range starting in February, with some locations carpeted by E. hendersonii in the thousands in March, where it often blooms with Dodecatheon hendersonii

Dodecatheon hendersonii

Dodecatheon hendersonii is a species of Dodecatheon native to western North America, from California north to southern British Columbia and Idaho. In California, it occurs in the northwest , the Cascade Range, the Sierra Nevada foothills, the Central Valley, the San Francisco Bay Area, the north...

. It blooms at higher elevations through May. It is most abundant in dry, open woodlands of Ponderosa Pine

Ponderosa Pine

Pinus ponderosa, commonly known as the Ponderosa Pine, Bull Pine, Blackjack Pine, or Western Yellow Pine, is a widespread and variable pine native to western North America. It was first described by David Douglas in 1826, from eastern Washington near present-day Spokane...

, Garry Oak

Garry Oak

Quercus garryana, the Garry Oak, Oregon White Oak or Oregon Oak, has a range from southern California to extreme southwestern British Columbia, particularly southeastern Vancouver Island and the adjacent Gulf Islands. It grows from sea level to 210 m altitude in the northern part of its range, and...

, and Madrone.

Description

E. hendersonii has a pair of mottled leaves, and its scape can bear up to eleven blossoms, but more commonly 1-4. The flower color is distinctive among all western North American Erythroniums. The color of the recurved tepals varies from a deep velvety purple, to lavender. The base of the tepals is dark purple, and surrounded by a tinge of white or yellow. The stigma is unlobed to shortly three-lobed, and the anthers are purple to brown.

This species is named for Louis F. Henderson, who has been called "The Grand Old Man of Northwest Botany."