LILIES - RHS Lily Group

Left, Erythronium multiscapoideum forms large colonies by producing stolons, here
in Magalia, Butte Co., California and has a ‘many-scaped’ appearance (inset).
Above left, E. oreganum is slow to increase vegetatively but is probably the finest
of the white-flowered species, here in Douglas Co., Oregon; above right, E. helenae
– the large yellow zone in the centre of the flowers, the yellow anthers and slender
filaments help to distinguish this from other white-flowered species.
the UK, requiring the generally cooler conditions to be found in the north. These
two factors – aesthetics and ease of cultivation – are important in the overall
assessment for an AGM. So, even before the trial it was predictable which ones
might be eligible.
Western North-American species
One of course stands out and that is the clone of E. californicum known as ‘White
Beauty’. This is undoubtedly beautiful, grows with enthusiasm given slight shade
and a deep, humus-enriched soil and, very importantly, increases vegetatively at a
reasonable pace by producing offsets. It is this last characteristic that perhaps calls
into question its attribution to E. californicum as plants grown from wild collected
seeds of this species do not appear to have the same useful character. However, in
all other respects it seems to be well within the range of morphological variation
of this Californian species. It was Carl Purdy who gave one of his selections the
name but whether the clone widely cultivated today is the same as his original
is hard to say. Coloured illustrations from his catalogues of the early twentieth
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