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Erythronium americanum - Ker-Gawl.

Trout Lily

Author	Ker-Gawl.	Botanical references	43, 200
Family	Liliaceae	Genus	Erythronium
Synonyms
Known Hazards	Although no records of toxicity have been seen for this species, the following notes have been seen for another member of this genus and so some caution is advised. Skin contact with the bulbs has been known to cause dermatitis in sensitive people[65].
Range	Eastern N. America - New Brunswick to Florida, west to Ontario and Arkansas.
Habitat	Meadows and rich damp open woodland[4, 43].
Edibility Rating	4 (1-5)	Medicinal Rating	1 (1-5)

Physical Characteristics

Bulb growing to 0.2m by 0.08m.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland). It requires moist soil.

Habitats

Woodland Garden; Dappled Shade; Shady Edge; Ground Cover; Lawn;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Flowers; Leaves; Root.

Bulb - raw[106] or cooked[105, 177]. A crisp, chewy and very pleasant taste[183]. The bulb is up to 25mm long and is buried quite deeply in the soil[4]. Leaves - raw or cooked[105, 177]. Added to salads[183]. Eating the leaves will greatly reduce the vigour of the bulb, so can only be recommended in times of emergency[K]. Flowers, flower buds and flower stems - raw or cooked[183].

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.

Antiscrophulatic; Contraceptive; Emetic; Emollient; Poultice.

All parts of the plant, but especially the bulb and the fresh leaves, are strongly emetic and are not used internally[4]. The fresh leaves are also antiscrofulatic and emollient and are used as an infusion or stimulating poultice applied to swellings, tumours and scrofulous ulcers[4, 106, 254]. The juice from crushed leaves has been applied to wounds that are not healing[257]. A poultice of the crushed bulbs has been applied to swellings and to help remove splinters[257]. The raw plant, excluding the roots, has been used by native North American young girls to prevent conception[257].

Other Uses

Ground cover.

Plants spread freely by means of underground stems and make a delightful ground cover in dappled shade[257]. The plants are only in growth from late winter to late spring so the ground cover effect is ephemeral[K].

Cultivation details

Prefers slightly acid soil conditions but succeeds in chalky soils if these contain plenty of humus[164]. Requires semi-shade, preferably provided by trees or shrubs, and a well-drained soil[42, 164]. Succeeds in almost any light soil, preferring one that is rich in humus[1]. Nonflowering plants far outnumber flowering ones in most populations because of their extensive stolon production[270]. This species does not flower very freely, increasing mainly by its stoloniferous habit[164]. The flowers only open in warm sun[90]. When established in woodland, this species can spread very freely by means of underground roots[258]. Flowers are produced in 3 - 4 years from seed[164].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a shady position in a cold frame. Water lightly in summer, it should germinate in autumn or winter[164, 200]. Stored seed requires a period of cold stratification[164]. Sow as early in spring as possible in a cold frame. Sow the seed thinly so that it will not be necessary to prick them out for their first year of growth. Give an occasional liquid feed to the seedlings to make sure that they do not become nutrient deficient. When the plants are dormant, pot up the small bulbs putting 2 - 3 bulbs in each pot. Grow them on in a shady position in the greenhouse for another 2 3 years and then plant them out into their permanent positions when they are dormant in late summer. Division in summer as the leaves die down. This species does not produce offsets[200].

Links

This plant is also mentioned in the following PFAF articles: Edible Ornamental Plants.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.

[42] Grey. C. H. Hardy Bulbs. Williams & Norgate. 1938
Rather dated now, but an immense work on bulbs for temperate zones and how to grow them. Three large volumes.

[43] Fernald. M. L. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co. 1950
A bit dated but good and concise flora of the eastern part of N. America.

[65] Frohne. D. and Pfänder. J. A Colour Atlas of Poisonous Plants. Wolfe 1984 ISBN 0723408394
Brilliant. Goes into technical details but in a very readable way. The best work on the subject that I've come across so far.

[90] Phillips. R. and Rix. M. Bulbs Pan Books 1989 ISBN 0-330-30253-1
Superbly illustrated, it gives brief details on cultivation and native habitat.

[105] Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976
The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.

[106] Coon. N. The Dictionary of Useful Plants. Rodale Press 1975 ISBN 0-87857-090-x
Interesting reading but short on detail.

[164] Bird. R. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 4. Thompson and Morgan. 1990
Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation. A good article on Yuccas, one on Sagebrush (Artemesia spp) and another on Chaerophyllum bulbosum.

[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984 ISBN 3874292169
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[254] Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants Dorling Kindersley. London 1996 ISBN 9-780751-303148
An excellent guide to over 500 of the more well known medicinal herbs from around the world.

[257] Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.

[258] RHS. Wisley, Surrey. The Garden. Volume 124. 1999. RHS. Wisley, Surrey. 1999 ISBN 0308 5457
The monthly newsletter of the RHS, contains articles on Erythroniums.

[270] Flora of N. America 0
An on-line version of the flora with an excellent description of the plant including a brief mention of plant uses.

Readers Comments

Plants for a Future does not verify the accuracy of reader comments, use at your own risk. In particular Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. You should always consult a professional before using plants medicinally.

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