Lily, Glacier

Erythronium grandiflorum

An early blooming, native wildflower for the Intermountain West!

Glacier Lilies first bloom in spring just after the snow melts. They are a very short, nodding flower, growing to a height of 6-15”. They prefer fertile and moist soils, high elevation, and shady areas. Glacier lily corms overwinter 5-7” underground, and they are an important food source for grizzly bears, deer, elk, and bighorn sheep. 

Seeds grown by Montana Survival Seed in Florence, Montana.

60 seeds

Directions: This lovely little plant is a long-term project for the dedicated gardener. It is slow to grow from seed, and may take 3 to 5 years before you have mature corms (1). In botanical jargon, the glacier lily has “morpho-physiological dormancy,” which is broken “when environmental conditions are correct for embryo growth and development and germination is prevented until physiological changes have occurred; in response to cold-moist conditions (2).”

If you live in an area with reliably cold winters, you can start your own patch of glacier lilies in the fall by filling planting containers with potting mix. Sow the seeds ¼-inch deep and water thoroughly. Leave the containers outside for the necessary winter exposure, keeping them moist. Seedlings germinate in spring, when the outdoor temperature begins to fluctuate. Glacier lily seedlings will develop typically develop one cotyledon (a tiny leaf) before going dormant 4 to 5 weeks after emergence. When seedlings go dormant, they must only be watered occasionally. In early May of the following year, true leaves will begin to emerge, but the plants will typically go dormant within about 6 weeks. By the end of the second year after planting, the corms should be about ¼-inch in diameter.

(1)   A corm is a rounded underground storage organ present in plants such as crocuses, gladioli, and cyclamens, consisting of a swollen stem base covered with scale leaves.

(2)  USFS Native Plant Network Propagation Protocol Database, https://npn.rngr.net/renderNPNProtocolDetails?selectedProtocolIds=liliaceae-erythronium-122&referer=wildflower