Erythronium or Kandyk

Kandyk (lat. Erythŕonium) — a perennial herbaceous bulbous plant, a genus of the family Liliaceae. An early-spring ephemeroid of mountain forests.

The plant is mentioned already by the ancient Greek scholar Dioscorides under the Greek name греч. σατύριον έρυθρόνιον.

Name derives from the ancient Greek 'erythros' — red, which refers to the flower color in some species. The second name "kandyk" — dog's tooth, was given because of the shape and color of the bulb.

These are plants of cool and moist light forests, open places (forest edges, meadows), in the temperate and subtropical zones of the Northern Hemisphere; some species ascend to alpine meadows and mountain tundra, inhabiting niches near snowfields in rocks. Most species of the genus occur in North America. The genus contains 25 species and several fairly well-distinguished varieties and forms; in the former USSR there are 4 species. Perennial bulbous plants overwintering in the ground, 10—45 cm tall. The bulb sits deep, with a membranous tunic, ovoid or ovoid-elongated, in many species nearly cylindrical, narrowed toward both ends, in shape and color resembling a dog's tooth (hence the name of the species E. dens-canis — "kandyk", "dog's tooth"). The stem is erect, bearing at the top one, more rarely several (up to 8) nodding flowers that are pink, purple, white, yellow, with various shades, and in the lower half 1—2 (3), often with purple spots, broadly lanceolate leaves narrowed at the base into a grooved petiole. The perianth is nodding, of 6 deciduous tepals, fused at the base into a bell-shaped tube, above that spreading and bending outward; the inner tepals have a transverse fold at the base and a nectar pit beneath it, sometimes with a pair of appendage "ears." There are 6 stamens, with spindle-shaped, awl-pointed filaments and linear-elongated anthers attached at their bases. The style is filiform, thickening at the top, with a three-lobed stigma. The capsule is obovoid, blunt-angled, dehiscing by rupture of the locules, with a few more or less flattened seeds. Almost all species of kandyk are early-spring plants; the aboveground shoots die back in early summer.

Kandyk is rarely encountered in our gardens, and among the species growing on the territory of the former USSR the Caucasian kandyk and the Japanese kandyk are very rare in cultivation. In Western Europe E. dens-canis and North American species with yellow flowers are most widely cultivated.

Erythronium caucasicum — Erythronium caucasicum Woronow

Grows in montane forests of the Western Transcaucasia. Endemic. Trialed in: St. Petersburg, Moscow, Kyiv, Stavropol, Tbilisi, Nalchik, Tuapse, Sukhumi.

Bulb elongated or ovoid-cylindrical, 2—3 cm long. Stem 10—25 cm tall. Leaves glaucous, spotted, ovoid-elongated, with a stem-clasping petiole. Tepals lanceolate, 2.5—4 cm long, white or pale yellow, yellowish at the base on the inner side, orange-purple on the outer side; inner tepals with a transverse fold, toothed above, without ears. Anthers twice as long as the filaments. Stigma lobes 0.3—0.5 cm long. Flowers in the second half of spring (15—20 days). Propagation coefficient is very low. Vegetative propagation is poor (some forms do not produce offsets for 3—5 years), fresh seeds give satisfactory results. Requires winter protection.

Erythronium japonicum — Erythronium japonicum L = E. denscanis L. var. japonicum Baker

Occurs in lowland and foothill forests in the warm-temperate zone of southern Sakhalin, the Kuril Islands, northern and central Japan, and the Korean Peninsula. Blooms in mid-spring. Highly ornamental. Mesophyte.

The Japanese kandyk is an ephemeroid bulbous plant with a densely pink perianth. By the end of flowering the color becomes pale pink. Bulb lanceolate-cylindrical, 5—6 cm long and about 1 cm in diameter, with sessile offset bulbs at the base. Stem 20—30 cm tall. Leaves narrowly ovate or oblong, 6—12 cm long and 2.5—5 cm wide, on more or less long petioles. Flower solitary, nodding, pink-purple; tepals lanceolate, 5—8 cm long and 0.5—1 cm wide, with a three-lobed dark-purple blotch at the base. Stamens slightly unequal; anthers broadly linear. Flowers in May. Fruits abundantly in the first half of July. By the end of July stems and leaves die back.

Kandyk can be used in parks in partial shade, on regularly watered sites with humus-rich soil.

Erythronium dens-canis, or European — Erythronium denscanis L. = E. maculatum Lam

Occurs in montane deciduous forests, shrublands and screes in the subtropical and warm-temperate zones of Europe, from Spain to the western regions of Ukraine; on the southern side of the Alps it rises to 1700 m above sea level. Trialed in: St. Petersburg, Moscow, Kyiv, Uzhgorod.

Bulb oblong-ovoid, in shape and color resembling a dog's tooth, with sessile offset bulbs. Stem 10—30 cm tall, often pinkish, above the base with a pair of almost opposite, broadly lanceolate leaves with purple spots, narrowed into a grooved petiole. Flower solitary, nodding. Tepals lanceolate, acuminate, 2—4 cm long, pink or purple, rarely white, reflexed; inner ones with ears at the base. Stamens half as long as the perianth; anthers bluish, sometimes almost black. Capsule obovoid, blunt-angled. Flowers in the second half of spring (15—20 days). In cultivation since 1570. Hardy, does not require winter covering. Highly ornamental.

Has two varieties: snow-white (var. niveum Maty) — with white flowers and long-leaved (var. longifolium hort.) — with long and acuminate leaves, larger flowers and a deeply three-lobed stigma. In addition, it has around a dozen cultivars.

Erythronium americanum — Erythronium americanum Ker-Gawl = E. angustatum Raf.= E. bracteatum Rigel.

Occurs in moist forests and shrublands in the warm-temperate and subtropical zones of eastern and central Canada and the USA; in mountains it rises to 1500 m above sea level.

Bulb ovoid, 1.2—2 cm high, with stolons from the base. Stem 10—30 cm tall. Leaves oblong to lanceolate, 7—20 cm long and 2—5 cm wide, more or less acute, usually with brown spots, less often entirely green, narrowed into a stem-clasping petiole. Scape sometimes with a single bract. Tepals bright yellow, rarely with a purple tint, 2—5 cm long and 0.6—0.8 cm wide, spotted inside; 3 inner ones with ears at the base. Pistil clavate; stigma with very short lobes. Capsule obovoid, narrowed at the base into a stalk.

Location: prefers shade, so it can be placed in semi-shady corners of the garden or planted under tree crowns, since these flowers bloom before tree leaves unfold. In addition, kandyk can be placed on the north side of buildings, but on a site without waterlogging. Overwinters without cover.

Soil: prefer light, moist and peaty soils with acidic reaction. Composition: leaf mold, humus, coarse sand. Per 1 m² apply 150 g superphosphate, 30 g potassium nitrate, 200 g bone meal, 100 g ground chalk.

Planting: planting and transplanting bulbs begins in the second half of June. Plant in groups of 3—4 in places protected from direct sunlight. Bulbs of Eurasian species and cultivars are planted in loose, fertilized soil to a depth of 10—15 cm and at a distance of 15 cm from each other. For American species, increase depth to 16—20 cm. It should be remembered that kandyk bulbs lack protective scales and may be exposed to air for no more than one day. For further storage they must be placed in damp sawdust or moss for no more than 20 days. After planting, furrows are covered with mulch material and watered. Kandyk grows in one place for 4-6 years without transplanting. During this time each bulb can form up to 20 offspring. Such a clump is very decorative during flowering.

Propagation: most species of western North America propagate only by seed; others propagate well vegetatively as well — by offset bulbs. Kandyk grows well in one place for several years, expanding year by year. Plantings of kandyk do not become overly dense. Therefore, and also because the plant does not like frequent transplanting, clumps of bulbs are divided once every 4—5 years, not more often. The best time to transplant bulbs is late summer, July—August, when plants are dormant after foliage yellowing. Spring transplanting during flowering is very hard for the plants to tolerate. Forced culture, division and planting to a new place should be done quickly and carefully, avoiding drying of kandyk bulbs, which, unlike tulip bulbs, do not have protective scales. Therefore, it is not recommended to keep kandyk bulbs on open air for a long time.

Propagation of kandyk by seed is especially interesting for obtaining new forms, although from sowing to the first flowering of seedlings takes 4—7 years.

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