Description
In parts of its wild range (specifically in the upper Trinity River drainage basin in the eastern portion of the Trinity Mountains in NW California) E. citrinum makes populations where the normally creamy anthers are instead coloured purple-red. Wayne Roderick, after whom this variety was named, knew of this in the 1960s and took me to the locality in 1980 to collect seed. Erythronium citrinum roderickii was finally named in 1991* by Shevock and Allen (the same authors who later described E. taylori). It grows in the wild at an altitude of 1,000-1,200m under scattered conifers and over serpentine and indeed it appears to be limited to such soils, rather than just a plant that grows on the now and again by chance.
This has large white flowers with a yellow throat and anthers which are reddish-purple (instead of the yellow of typical citrinum) before dehiscence which yields yellow pollen. It has very well-patterned leaves and reddish flower scapes with the red shades extending to the edges and undersides of the leaves. We have noticed that the yellow zone in throat is small but it is very strongly contrasted with the white petals and Shevock and Allen noted that it is brighter than in typical E. citrinum.
The flowers take on a pinkish-purple colouration with age which has led some to speculate that this may be an ancient allopolyploid species perhaps involving citrinum and hendersonii. I know of no work that supports (nor discounts) this suggestion however. Should this be the case, then the plant would need to be elevated to a full species level.
This lovely plant makes a very striking contrast to the normal forms. It is equally growable, if you can grow E. citrinum then it is no more difficult in a pot or pan of loam-based compost which is both humus rich and well-drained. Dryish, but not desiccating, over summer.
(* Shevock, J.R. and G.A. Allen. 1991. A new variety of Erythronium citrinum (Liliaceae) from the Scott Mountains of northwest California. Phytologia 71(2):101-103)