White Trout Lily

Plant Info

Also known as:	White Fawn Lily, White Dog-tooth Violet, White Adder's Tongue
Scientific name:	Erythronium albidum
Family:	Lily (Liliaceae)
Life cycle:	perennial
Origin:	native
Habitat:	part sun to shade; moist woods
Bloom season:	spring
Plant height:	4 to 8 inches

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Detailed Information

Flower:

Flowers are about 1 inch across and long, nodding down at the end of a naked stem that arises from the base of the plant. There are 6 white tepals (3 petals and 3 petal-like sepals) that curve back, and 6 yellow stamen that extend down from the center. The backs of the tepals are often tinged violet. The flowers close up at night and open in the morning. One plant produces a single flower, but not all plants have flowers.

Leaves:

There are 1 or 2 basal leaves, generally elliptical, tapering to a point at both ends, with smooth edges and short stems. Immature, non-flowering plants have 1 leaf, mature flowering plants have 2 leaves of unequal size, the larger up to 8 inches long and 2 inches wide. The color is mottled green and brown. Leaves may be curled or folded lengthwise some, or opened flat.

Notes:

White Trout Lily is one of the first woodland flowers to bloom in the spring. It forms large colonies—there are literally millions of them at Nerstrand Big Woods State Park. The leaves of trout lilies are easily recognizable, but there are multiple species that have the same kind of leaves and grow at the same time in the same habitat. They aren't very distinguishable when not flowering. Dwarf Trout Lily, which has much smaller white flowers, is one, and Yellow Trout Lily is another.

More photos

• a group of White Trout Lily plants
• budding plants in the snow
• bugs on a flower

More white wildflowers. Photos taken at Coon Rapids Dam Regional Park, Coon Rapids MN and Nerstrand Big Woods State Park, Nerstrand MN April-May 2008

Comments

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