Species: Zigadenus elegans

Most spring grassland ephemerals grow prostrate to the soil surface where the springtime microclimate is warm and they are least likely to be located by herbivores when little fresh forage is available. Members of the genus Zigadenus, however, produce a taller stalk and recurved basal grasslike leaves that are elevated above the soil surface. This habit may explain two distinct characteristics of the grassland members of this genus: (1) a very large bulb may provide the extra energy needed for the unfavorable spring microclimate in which the leaves are positioned; (2) the extreme toxicity of all plant parts presumably deters herbivores in the early spring when little nutritional forage is available (Knapp 1986).