YELLOW TROUTLILY 



Erythronium americanum Ker 



Yellow troutlily is one of our early spring flowers, making its ap- 

 pearance at the same time as bloodroot and tooth wort. The lush 

 leaves are as fresh and lovely as the blossoms. These almost close at 

 night, and open only sluggishly in daylight, failing to revive when 

 picked. The shady meadows bordering streams are their favored hab- 

 itat, and here mats of the leaves, sometimes acres in extent, often 

 closely carpet the ground. Only a few individuals bear flowers, how- 

 ever, for like many other wild flowers several years are necessary for 

 its bulbs to mature. The troutlilies belong to the Lily Family, and the 

 approved common name, which was coined by the famous naturalist, 

 John Burroughs, emphasizes this fact. The name used in some books, 

 dogtooth violet, is highly inappropriate, for the flower does not bear 

 the slightest resemblance to a violet. 



Yellow troutlily has a wide range, from Florida to Arkansas, and 

 north to Minnesota, Ontario, and Nova Scotia. 



The specimens sketched grew near Washington, District of Colum- 

 bia. 



PLATE 339 



