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Common Name: White Trout-Lily

General Information

Erythronium albidum is a Bulb up to 0.05 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a food.

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[].

Botanical References

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Range

Eastern N. America - Ontario to Minnesota, south to Georgia, Tennessee and Texas.

Habitat

Moist woods, thickets and meadows[, , ]. Mesic bottomlands, upland forests, woodlands, clay and silt bottomlands, floodplain forests from sea level to 300 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Habit	Bulb
Height	0.05 m
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Prefers slightly acid soil conditions but succeeds in chalky soils so long as they contain plenty of humus[]. Requires semi-shade, preferably provided by trees or shrubs, and a well-drained soil[]. Succeeds in almost any light soil, preferring one that is rich in humus[].
This species is closely related to E. americanum[], but is unsatisfactory in cultivation outdoors in Britain[]. It comes into growth early in the year and the flowers probably need more heat than is available in this country if they are to open properly[]. A clump seen growing in light shade at Kew early in April 1995 was growing vigorously, spreading well and had lots of flower buds, but was not yet in flower[].
Erythronium albidum often forms extensive colonies in which nonflowering, 1-leaved plants far outnumber flowering, 2-leaved ones[].
Flowers are produced in 3 - 4 years from seed[].
This species does not produce offsets[].

Edible Uses

Bulb - raw or cooked[, ]. A delicious flavour[]. Rather small, it is about 25mm long[].
Young leaves - raw or cooked. Crisp, tasty, tender and mild when eaten raw[]. Eating the leaves will greatly reduce the vigour of the bulb, so can only be recommended in times of emergency[].
Flowers, flower buds and flower stems - raw or cooked[].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

None known

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[, ]. Stored seed requires a period of cold stratification[]. 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[].