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Species Brief

Erythronium grandiflorum, yellow avalanche-lily

Written
July, 2026
Contributors
Ilana L. Abrahamson - 1st Compiler, Leila Duchac - 1st Editor

Abrahamson, Ilana L., compiler. 2026. Species Brief: Erythronium grandiflorum, yellow avalanche-lily. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: https://research.fs.usda.gov/feis/species-briefs/erygra

DOI
10.2737/feis-species-brief-erygra

Scientific Name
Erythronium grandiflorum
Common Names
yellow avalanche-lily
glacier-lily
glacier lily
FEIS Lifeform Type
Forb
Kingdom
Plantae
Class
Liliopsida (Monocot)
Order
Liliales
Family
Liliaceae
Genus
Erythronium
Nativity
Native
Invasiveness
Noninvasive

This Species Brief is a concise summary of the biological, ecological, and fire‑related characteristics of an individual species derived from a Fire Effects Information System (FEIS) Species Review. Table 1 is derived from a standardized template and highlights these characteristics.

Table 1—Biological, ecological, and fire-related characteristics about yellow avalanche-lily. Asterisks indicate areas of uncertainty or discrepancy. When asterisks are used, text in the justification field describes the uncertainty or discrepancy.
AttributeCharacteristicJustificationSource
Biological characteristics
Life formForbYellow avalanche-lily is a perennial herb 20 to 40 cm tall with basal leaves and a raceme inflorescence.FEIS: Botanical Description [1]
Typical lifespanInsufficient informationInformation on the longevity of yellow avalanche-lily plants was not available.FEIS: Stand and Population Structure [1]
Life cyclePerennialYellow avalanche-lily is a perennial herb. Plants die back in early summer, overwinter as corms, and sprout again annually from the corm.FEIS: Botanical Description; Seasonal Development [1]
Drought toleranceLow*Yellow avalanche-lily grows on moist sites, and often grows where snow lingers late into the season. The source describes its dependence on moisture rather than addressing drought tolerance directly.FEIS: Site Characteristics [1]
Rooting depthDeepThe corm and roots are deeply buried, from 8 to 25 cm below ground. While deep soils are preferred, it can also grow in bedrock cracks and shallow soils.FEIS: Botanical Description; Site Characteristics [1]
Bark thickness at maturityN/AThis attribute applies to trees.FEIS: Botanical Description [1]
Sheds low branchesN/AThis attribute applies to trees.FEIS: Botanical Description [1]
Reproduction and Regeneration
Adventitious budsCormYellow avalanche-lily sprouts annually from the corm, and after fire or other top-killing disturbances. It may also reproduce from corm offsets.FEIS: Vegetative Reproduction and Regeneration [1]
Time to reproductive maturity0-1 year*Yellow avalanche-lily may flower and produce seeds in its first year, although the source notes this may not be typical.FEIS: Seed Production [1]
Soil seed bank longevityInsufficient informationNo information was available on the depth of burial of the seeds or their persistence in the soil seedbank.FEIS: Seed Banking [1]
Serotinous conesN/AThis attribute applies to conifers. Yellow avalanche-lily is a forb whose fruit is a capsule with papery seeds.FEIS: Botanical Description [1]
Seed dispersal mechanismWindWind disperses the seed, usually for short distances.FEIS: Seed Dispersal [1]
Seed dispersal distanceShort (mostly under parent plant)Wind disperses the seed usually for short distances, and most seed falls under or near the parent plant.FEIS: Seed Dispersal [1]
Optimal conditions for seedling establishmentBare soil; SunBare mineral soil and soil disturbance favor establishment. It typically grows on sites with moist soil and open light in early spring.FEIS: Seedling Establishment; Site Characteristics [1]
Successional Status
Shade toleranceShade intolerant*Yellow avalanche-lily is most common on sites that remain open for long periods, such as meadows and avalanche chutes. It is more common in open than in closed forests and it may colonize disturbed sites. However, the source does not explicitly state its shade tolerance.FEIS: Successional Status [1]
Successional statusEarly; Mid*Yellow avalanche-lily may colonize and/or persist on disturbed sites, and it may colonize sites in primary succession (e.g., scoured avalanche chutes). It is most common on long-open sites such as meadows and avalanche chutes.FEIS: Successional Status [1]
Fire
Primary fire response(s) or adaptation(s)Recover/ResproutFire does not harm the deeply buried corms, which are protected from fire. Yellow avalanche-lily sprouts from its corm after top-kill by fire.FEIS: Immediate Fire Effects; Fire Adaptations and Plant Response to Fire [1]
Germination is fire stimulatedInsufficient informationSeeds are dormant on dispersal and require cold and warm stratification to germinate. No information was available on the effects of fire on soil-stored seed, so no fire cue is documented.FEIS: Germination; Immediate Fire Effects [1]
Flowering/fruiting is fire stimulatedInsufficient informationThe source does not provide explicit information about fire-stimulated flowering or fruiting.FEIS: [1]
NEW: Season when it is most sensitive to fireSpring; SummerNEW: Yellow avalanche-lily is a spring ephemeral, with growing season tied to date of snowmelt. Fire during yellow avalanche-lily's short growing season may kill the current-year seed crop, but fire mostly occurs when yellow avalanche-lily has senesced and is dormant.FEIS: Seasonal Development; Immediate Fire Effects; Fire Adaptations and Plant Response to Fire
Plant flammabilityLowYellow avalanche-lily is typically senescent and dormant when fuels are dry enough to burn and contributes little to fuel loads.FEIS: Fuel Characteristics [1]
Early colonizer/recolonizer of burned or disturbed sitesFrequentlyThe open conditions created by fire favor postfire growth, and yellow avalanche-lily is often present on recent burns. A fireweed-yellow avalanche-lily community formed in the Mount St. Helens blast zone within 3 years of the eruption.FEIS: Summary;  Successional Status [1]
Effect of fire exclusion on populationPossible decrease; Varies throughout habitat or range*Fire may benefit yellow avalanche-lily by preventing tree encroachment and removing litter, and yellow avalanche-lily is more common in open than in closed forests, so excluding fire could reduce population sizes if its habitat becomes shady. However, many plant communities where yellow avalanche-lily occurs (e.g., subalpine and alpine meadows) rarely burn, so excluding fire would have a minor effect.FEIS: Fire Adaptations and Plant Response to Fire; Successional Status [1]
Is this species typically managed with prescribed fire?Rarely/NoYellow avalanche-lily is not managed with fire, although fire can help maintain or create the open conditions that favor it.FEIS: Fire Management Considerations [1]
Predominant historical fire frequencies of ecosystem where it most commonly occursFrequent; InfrequentYellow avalanche-lily occurs in a variety of plant communities with varied fire regimes. For example, ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir forests experienced mostly frequent surface fires, while subalpine fir-spruce forests experienced mixed and stand-replacement fires at long intervals.FEIS: Fire Regimes [1]
Predominant historical fire severity where it most commonly occursLow; Mixed; ReplacementYellow avalanche-lily occurs in a variety of plant communities with varied fire regimes. For example, ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir forests experienced mostly frequent surface fires, while subalpine fir-spruce forests experienced mixed and stand-replacement fires.FEIS: Fire Regimes [1]
Predominant historical fire regime group where it most commonly occursInsufficient informationYellow avalanche-lily occurs in a variety of plant communities with varied fire regimes. For example, ponderosa pine, Douglas-fir, and grassland communities had frequent, low-severity surface fires (group 1), while the subalpine fir-spruce communities had infrequent stand-replacement fire (group 5).FEIS: Fire Regimes [1]
Alters historical fuel characteristics of ecosystems where it occursRarely/NoYellow avalanche-lily is typically senescent and dormant when fuels are dry enough to burn and contributes little to fuel loads.FEIS: Fuel Characteristics [1]

1. Fryer, Janet L. 2021. Erythronium grandiflorum, yellow avalanche-lily. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: https://research.fs.usda.gov/feis/species-reviews/erygra

Species Reviews
AbbreviationTitleCommon TitleScientific Title
ERYGRAErythronium grandiflorum, yellow avalanche-lilyyellow avalanche-lilyErythronium grandiflorum
Fire Regimes
TitleTypeYear
Fire regimes of California montane and subalpine grasslandsReport2019
Fire regimes of California montane mixed-conifer communitiesReport2018
Fire regimes of California subalpine mixed-conifer communitiesReport2019
Fire regimes of Columbia Plateau grasslands and steppe communitiesReport2026
Fire regimes of conifer forests in the Blue MountainsSynthesis2017
Fire regimes of East Cascades ponderosa pine and montane mixed-conifer communitiesSynthesis2024
Fire regimes of interior chaparral communitiesReport2026
Fire regimes of intermountain riparian communitiesReport2026
Fire regimes of limber pine communitiesReport2026
Fire regimes of mixed dwarf sagebrush communitiesReport2026
Fire regimes of montane riparian communities in California and southwestern OregonSynthesis2015
Fire regimes of mountain big sagebrush communitiesSynthesis2018
Fire regimes of mountain-mahogany communitiesReport2026
Fire regimes of ninebark shrublandsReport2026
Fire regimes of North Pacific montane shrubland communitiesReport2026
Fire regimes of northern Rocky Mountain conifer swamp communitiesReport2026
Fire regimes of northern Rocky Mountain montane mixed-conifer communitiesReport2026
Fire regimes of northern Rocky Mountain montane shrubland communitiesReport2026
Fire regimes of Northern Rocky Mountain ponderosa pine communitiesSynthesis2016
Fire regimes of Pacific Northwest montane grassland communitiesReport2026
Fire regimes of Pacific Northwest mountain hemlock communitiesReport2026
Fire regimes of ponderosa pine communities in the Black Hills and surrounding areasSynthesis2017
Fire regimes of ponderosa pine communities in Utah and NevadaReport2026
Fire regimes of Rocky Mountain lodgepole pine communitiesReport2026
Fire regimes of Rocky Mountain riparian communitiesReport2026
Fire regimes of Rocky Mountain subalpine mixed-conifer communitiesReport2026
Fire regimes of Rocky Mountain western redcedar communitiesReport2026
Fire regimes of saltbush desert scrub communitiesReport2026
Fire regimes of snowberry shrubland communitiesReport2026
Fire regimes of southern Rocky Mountain high-elevation grasslandsReport2026
Fire regimes of Wyoming ponderosa pine communitiesReport2026
Fire Studies
TitleAuthorsTypeYear
Vegetation response to restoration treatments in ponderosa pine-Douglas-fir forests of western MontanaMetlen et al.Research Project Summary2006
Last updated August 24, 2026
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