I almost missed these plants altogether. Another couple of weeks and they would have lost their flowers and the leaves would have been overgrown by neighboring plants. Eastern trout lilies are low-growing plants that form colonies of plants of different ages. The leaves have the characteristic mottling that give the plant its name – although I am not quite sure which trout would be a good match – the leaf is pretty but it’s no rainbow… A yellow flower sits atop a solitary stem and droops towards the ground. Its petals curl upwards, revealing the bright yellow of the inner petals.
eastern trout lily, May 8 2011
There are a couple of different ways to enjoy the trout lily as a culinary treat:
- Steamed lily leaves – Steam dabbled leaves in steamer, over boiling water, for 2 minutes.
- Young leaves are delicious eaten raw.
- You can gather the roots (just before the flower open) – the root bulb can be chopped and sprinkled raw over a salad.
- The actual flowers can be eaten raw or added to a salad.
| Scientific name: | Erythronium americanum |
| Common name: | eastern trout lily |
| Other name: | dog’s-tooth violet, trout lily, yellow snowdrop, adder’s tongue |
| Bloom time: | mid spring |
| Color: | bright yellow |
| Light requirements: | light shade to full shade |
| Zone: | 3 to 9 |
| Soil: | mildly acidic to mildly alkaline |
| Water: | moist |
| Origin: | eastern North America |
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