Yellow Troutlily

Erythronium americanum Ker Yellow troutlily is one of our early spring flowers, making its ap- pearance at the same time as bloodroot and tooth wort. The lush leaves are as fresh and lovely as the blossoms. These almost close at night, and open only sluggishly in daylight, failing to revive when picked. The shady meadows bordering streams are their favored hab- itat, and here mats of the leaves, sometimes acres in extent, often closely carpet the ground. Only a few individuals bear flowers, how- ever, for like many other wild flowers several years are necessary for its bulbs to mature. The troutlilies belong to the Lily Family, and the approved common name, which was coined by the famous naturalist, John Burroughs, emphasizes this fact. The name used in some books, dogtooth violet, is highly inappropriate, for the flower does not bear the slightest resemblance to a violet. Yellow troutlily has a wide range, from Florida to Arkansas, and north to Minnesota, Ontario, and