Erythronium americanum, Yellow Trout Lily

Pictures to Come!

I have been working on Yellow Trout Lily for a few years now and hope to have potted plants this spring. They do not reproduce reliably from seed, but in the wild they rely on ants to grab the fat-covered seed to "plant" them in their chambers. They do, however, reproduce vegetatively, and will form colonies where they get what they need. Preferring moist-medium soils, this ephemeral can carpet the floor of a wooded floodplain. If you have rich woodland soils, this may be a good ephemeral for you. However, I don't think the north, total shade, side of a house will do -they need some sunlight in spring to establish. Yellow Trout Lily are good companions to other spring ephemerals like Spring Beauty and Virginia Bluebells (not native to Hennepin County).

Planting tip: If no leaves are present on the potted specimen, plant these deeply, as the corms require 5 to 10 inches of depth to establish well. They will work themselves deeper into the soil over time. Where leaves are visible, plant so that the leaves are above the soil.

Blooms: yellow brushed with mahogany, April into May

Height: 6 to 8 inches

Conditions: dappled shade to shade (after leaf out), moist-medium soils