Secretory glands are rare in Liliaceae. We surveyed the scapes of herbarium specimens of all 23 species of Tofieldia and found 13 with glabrous scapes, two with sparse emergences on a few specimens, and eight that invariably bore emergences which ranged from clearly secretory to clearly non-secretory. Gland-bearing species are concentrated in North America. Paraffin sections showed anatomical differences among the emergences. Field-fixed scapes of T. glutinosa, with secretory glands, were studied by the paraffin method and scanning electron microscopy. The most distinctive feature is a distal pore where usually one or two epidermal cells appear to be lacking, therby exposing the internal, presumable secretory, cells. The secretory product in T. glutinosa is tasteless, colourless, and sticky to the touch.