Description
A beloved spring wildflower, the Trout-lily has mottled, shiny leaves that resemble the speckled back of a trout. It flowers in early spring with cheerful yellow, nodding flowers. Usually it forms colonies that contain many young, non-flowering individuals but populations with a high percentage of flowering individuals are not unusual. It becomes dormant in the summer.
Slow when grown from seeds, but nevertheless a wonderful species to have when spring arrives! The seeds are equipped with elaiosomes and are gathered by ants; very tricky to collect because by the time the capsules are mature the leaves had already vanished and the woodland floor looks completely different than in early spring.
Lots of info (including other Erythronium spp.) is provided by Ian Young on his, now renown, Bulb log. There is hope for growing Erythronium from seeds, see it flowering, and even select wonderful clones!!!
Germination: like for most spring ephemerals, best sown immediately, or any time but the seeds need to be kept moist, allowing warm-cold-warm cycles for germination.
Read more: Notes on Erythronium germination II
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