Plants of The Georgia Depression

Arbutus | Camas | Douglas Fir | Garry Oak | Henderson's Shootingstar | Oregon Grape

Pacific Dogwood | Pink Fawn Lily | Red Alder | Salal | Salmonberry

Sword Fern | Western Red Cedar

Erythronium revolutum

Appearance

Pink fawn lilies grow to over 30 cm tall, with pairs of long, thick, white-spotted leaves growing from the base. The flowers are pink and sometimes almost look fluorescent.

Range & Habitat

In BC they grow on Vancouver Island and then continue south along the coast to California. They like open and moist meadows, woodlands and streamsides. In BC this plant is found in the Georgia Lowlands ecoprovinces.

Life Cycle

The leaves show up in springtime and the flowers open in early summer. They ripen into long capsules full of tiny black seeds.

Animal Uses

Generally most animals don't eat pink fawn lilies very much because they have a bitter taste.

Traditional First Nations Uses

Several First Nations groups ate pink fawn lily bulbs and sometimes steamed them with fish grease. They always drank water afterwards because otherwise they thought they would get sick.

Modern Uses

Pink fawn lilies are beautiful ornamental plants for woodland gardens.

Status

COSEWIC: Not at Risk
CDC: Yellow

More Information

ghs.gresham.k12.or.us/science/ps/nature/plants/3petal/lily/pfawnlily.htm