Alternate name: American Trout Lily, Eastern Trout Lily, Yellow Trout Lily, Dogtooth Violet
Family: Liliaceae, Lily view all from this family
Description A pair of brownish-mottled leaves sheath the base of a stalk that bears a solitary, nodding flower, yellow inside, bronzy outside.
Flowers: 1" (2.5 cm) wide; petals 3 and petal-like sepals 3, all curved backwards; stamens 6, with brownish or yellow anthers.
Leaves: 2-8" (5-20 cm) long, elliptic.
Fruit: ovoid capsule.
Height: 4-10" (10-25 cm).
Flower March-June.
Habitat Rich woods and meadows.
Range Ontario to New Brunswick and Nova Scotia; south through New England to Georgia; west to Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, north to Minnesota.
Discussion Recognized by its brown-mottled leaves, this is one of our most common spring wildflowers, and it is found in sizable colonies. The common name ("Dogtooth Violet") refers to the toothlike shape of the white underground bulb. The name "Trout Lily" (a more suitable name since the flower is not a Violet) refers to the similarity between the leaf markings and those of the brown or brook trout. The White Dogtooth Violet (E. albidum) has narrow, mottled leaves and white, bell-shaped flowers, often tinged with lavender on the outside. It is found from southern Ontario to Georgia, west to Kentucky, Missouri, and Oklahoma, and north to Minnesota. Minnesota Adder's Tongue (E. propullans), found only in Minnesota, has pink flowers and produces a small bulb midway up the stem.
