Trout lily....better known as Adder's Tongue...as well as Dogtooth Violet....

An Erythronium by any other name...would not smell as sweet. (Actually, there is no smell.)

My grandmother's favourite wildflower was the Trout Lily although, if I recall, she called it an Adder's Tongue, so named for it's petals that curl back like a snake's tongue. My Mom picks a tiny bunch on my grandmother's birthday each May in memory of her. There is always one or more there for her to pick, regardless of how late spring arrives. (like this year.) To find this plant, look underneath some deciduous trees on a sunny bank by a stream, or a riverbank. It's leaves are mottled like a trout's back and it really does belong to the lily family, not the violet family as the other common name deludes to...

Dogtooth refers to the underground corm that is shaped like a dog's tooth! I don't know why it is called a violet- it in no way resembles one! The genus name, Erythronium is taken from the Greek word 'erythro' meaning red in reference to the pink or red flowers of some species, not this one, or the reddish blotches on the leaves.

The Trout lily is a food source for bears, ground squirrels and was used occasionally by our native people. The corms were eaten raw or boiled and some say they have a taste like cucumber. The leaves were also used in a salad- please don't try this at home- some say it can cause vomiting or a burning sensation- ick! This species Erythronium americanum is native to Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. They can form dense groundcovers if they are in their happy place! They spread by corm division and by seed somewhat. Ants help seed propagation by eating the nutritious appendage attached to each seed and leaving the rest to germinate- who would have imagined!