Glacier Lily
Erythronium grandiflorum
Bright golden, swept-back flowers carpet mountain meadows at the very edge of melting snow, then go dormant. An early-spring ephemeral whose bulbs feed bears and ground squirrels. The bulb is a traditional food, eaten raw for its cool, slightly bitter crunch or cooked to a sweeter, starchier texture — though eating the leaves weakens the bulb, so this is one to appreciate more than harvest in a garden setting.
- Family
- Liliaceae
- Type
- wildflower
- Lifespan
- perennial
- Height
- 0.5–1 ft
- Spacing
- 0.5–1 ft apart
- Light
- part shade
- Soil moisture
- moist
- Soil pH
- neutral
- Bloom
- May, June, July
- Bloom colors
- red, yellow
- Wildlife value
- pollinators
- Landscape uses
- border, container
- Native states
- CA, CO, ID, MT, NM, OR, UT, WA, WY
Related native plants
More Erythronium species
- Yellow Trout Lily (Erythronium americanum)
- White Trout Lily (Erythronium albidum)
- Oregon Fawn Lily (Erythronium oregonum)
- Pink Fawn Lily (Erythronium revolutum)