[1] Erythronium includes about 20–30 species of hardy spring-flowering perennial plants with long, tooth-like bulbs.

Slender stems carry pendent flowers with recurved tepals in shades of cream, yellow, pink and mauve.

Erythroniums are widely grown as ornamental plants, with numerous hybrids and cultivars having been selected for garden use.

[12] The following cultivars, of mixed ancestry, have won the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit: The bulb is edible as a root vegetable, cooked or dried, and can be ground into flour.

In Japan, Erythronium japonicum is called katakuri, and the bulb is processed to produce starch, which is used for food and other purposes.