Dog Tooth Violet is Erythronium
If you have shade, you'll love Dogtooth violets. Erythroniums have several vivid names including Fawn Lily, Trout Lily, Tooth Violet and Adder’s Tongue. There are 20 species of these sweet, spring-flowering bulbs. They form clumps that grow to a maximum height of 4-8 inches. The bulbs look like a 2-inch long tooth (dogtooth) and the stems that shoot up in the spring hold pendants of flowers. Flower colors include lavender, pink, yellow and cream. Native to forests, separate species are identified as growing east and west of the Rocky Mountains. East of the Rockies, we can grow White Fawn Lily (White Trout Lily); Yellow Dogtooth Violet (Yellow Adder’s Tongue); Gray Dwarf Trout Lily; Yellow Trout Lily; and Dimpled Trout Lily. The Trout Lily name comes from the brown spots on the leaves, said to resemble brook trout spots. Trout Lily Root and Leaf from Hiker's Notebook Erythroniums that grow west of the Rockies include: Avalanch...