A pair of brownish-mottled leaves (which resembles the colors of a Brook Trout) at the base of a stalk which bears a solitary, nodding flower, yellow on the inside and bronze on the outside, are the components of many, many Yellow Trout Lilies which carpets the forest floor at this time of year.

Yellow Trout Lily is pollinated by ants and after a seed is planted, it may take up to seven years before the plant becomes mature enough to flower.

It is a small plant, reaching only about six inches tall. Other common names for this plant are Adder’s Tongue, Fawn Lily and Dog-tooth Violet.

The common name of Adder’s Tongue is in reference the appearance of the emerging stamens of the flower, which protrude like the tongue of a snake.

Fawn Lily is a name given in regards to the plant’s two spotted leaves that to some look similar to the alert, upright ears of a fawn.

The common name of Dog-tooth Violet is in reference to the flower’s underground elongated bulb shape. It is unfortunately misleading, because this plant is not a member of the violet family.

The Yellow Trout Lily root (known as a corm) is an edible vegetable.  According to the International Health Exhibition held in London in 1884, the roots were ground into a material for making confectionary. The leaves are also edible and can be eaten raw and put into salads.

The diverse array of common names for this plant are evidence of this plant’s widespread distribution throughout much of the eastern United States and of its distinctive appearance and characteristics.

Third Eye Herp
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