Veratrum californicum, August 15, 2023
Common & scientific name
Corn lily, false hellebore, skunk cabbage, Veratrum californicum
Family
False hellebore, Melanthiaceae
Location
Ptarmigan area, 11,000’
Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
This year, as in many (most?), corn lilies bloom and seed little: we usually just see their architecturally elegant leaves. When they bloom en masse (aka “masting”), it improves their chances of cross-pollination, although they also reproduce through underground shoots, like aspen trees. Scientists at RMBL believe they mast two years after a “cool” summer. 2021 “cool”? Not so much.