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Trout Lily

Spring-Flowering Bulb

Also known as Dog's Tooth Violet , American Adder's Tongue
Erythronium americanum
Liliaceae Family

Native to eastern North America, the Trout Lily is delicate but hardy, with nodding, lily-like yellow blooms. These rise above two basal leaves that are dark green and mottled with brown, resembling a trout. It is best used in mass plantings in naturalized settings where the soil does not dry out.

	Site and Plant Characteristics
	Growing Information

Site Characteristics

Sunlight:

part shade

Soil conditions:

requires damp soil

Prefers rich, moist but well-drained soils that do not dry out.

Hardiness zones:

3 to 9

Plant Traits

Lifecycle: perennial

Ease-of-care: easy

Height: 0.25 to 0.75 feet

Spread: 0.25 to 0.5 feet

Bloom time: mid-spring

Flower color: yellow

Foliage color:

dark green
variegated
other

Leaves are dark green mottled with brown, somewhat resembling the coloration of a trout.

Foliage texture: medium

Shape: herbaceous: other

Plants have two ovoid basal leaves.

Shape in flower:

flower stalks with upright spikes
flower stalks with flowers hanging downward

Nodding blooms borne on erect stems rising above the basal leaves.

Special Considerations

Special characteristics:

non-aggressive
non-invasive
native to North America - Eastern U.S. and Canada, from Nova Scotia to Florida.

Growing Information

How to plant:

Propagate by division or separation - Divide the plants in summer after the foliage has begun to die back. If dividing in hot weather, make sure the new planting location is moist.

Maintenance and care:

Plant the bulbs 5" beneath the soil surface. They require this planting depth. which is deeper than you'd expect for a bulb of such small size.
More growing information: How to Grow Bulbs