Erythronium americanum – Trout Lily

Trout lily has purple mottled leaves and a flower with 6 petals. The color of the flower varies depending on the species of trout lily.

Trout lily leaves and flowers can be added raw to a salad. Only a handful of leaves or flowers should be eaten in a day. Larger quantities of the plant can cause emesis.

Trout lilies also produce edible corms, but harvesting the corm will kill the plant. The worst time to harvest the corm is when the plant is flowering as this is when the corm will be the smallest.

 

Trout lilies have also been used as a medicinal plant to reduce fevers and prevent pregnancy.

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Written by Amy Demers, founder of the Connecticut Foraging Club. To learn more about foraging in Connecticut, check out our upcoming classes.