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Yellow trout lily, commonly known as dog tooth violet,
is one of the many flowers found in Wildwood Park. Trout lily,
scientifically known as Erythronium americanum is member of the
family Liliaceae. The trout lily is classified as being member of the
kingdom Plante and the class Liliopsida. The yellow trout lily
flourishes in springtime gardens and in native hills and hollows. This
beautiful flower sits at the top of a 4-to10 inch stem that rises
between two long, elliptic, mottled basal leaves. The bright yellow,
lily-like flower consists of three petals and three petal-like sepals,
which are all curved backward. Six stamens with dark brown anthers
noticeably stick out from the flower’s center. Yellow trout-lily grows
in moist deciduous uplands and especially in bottomland woods, and even
in meadows almost throughout the deciduous forest region of eastern
North America. It blooms primarily in April and it one the first
wildflowers to bloom in spring. |
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In Virginia, the trout lily is known by several names,
the most common of which is trout lily. The origin of the this name is
obscure, but the plant is often found growing along trout streams an it does
appear at about the same time the trout fishing season begins. Another
name, adder’s tongue, might refer to the protruding stamens, which vaguely
resembles a snake’s tongue. The trout lily is also known as dog tooth
violet (refers to the shape of the root that looks like a dog’s tooth)
however this name is misleading since the plant is not related to the
violets.
In the garden, the yellow trout-lily is a charming
spring bloomer in a partly shaded rock or woodland garden and in informal
corners of the landscape. It can be spread from seeds offsets in deep,
loose, relatively moist soil that is rich in organic matter. It takes the
plant four to seven years to grow from seed to bloom.
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Trout lily, both its roots and leaves were used by
Native Americans in medicinal preparation for various ailments. Modern
research indicates that water extracts of Trout-lily are antibacterial.
Written spring 2004, as a service learning
project for Dr. Gary Coté's Biology 102 class at Radford University. Copyright
Pathways for Radford. |
