Dimpled trout lily facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Dimpled trout lily |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Erythronium
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| Species: |
umbilicatum
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The Dimpled Trout Lily (scientific name: Erythronium umbilicatum) is a pretty wild flower. It is part of the lily family. This plant grows naturally in the southeastern United States. You can mostly find it in the Piedmont and southern Appalachian areas.
It has been found in many states. These include West Virginia, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia.
What is a Dimpled Trout Lily?
The Dimpled Trout Lily is known as a spring ephemeral. This means it grows, flowers, and then dies back very quickly in the spring. It does this before the trees grow their leaves and block out the sunlight. Its favorite place to live is in forests.
What Does it Look Like?
This plant grows from an egg-shaped bulb. These bulbs can be up to 25 centimeters (about 10 inches) long. Its leaves are also quite long, up to 20 centimeters (about 8 inches). They often have a cool, mottled pattern, which means they have different shades or spots.
The plant sends up a stem called a scape. This stem can be up to 20 centimeters long. It usually holds just one yellow flower at the top. Sometimes, these yellow flowers have brown spots on their petals.
Different Kinds of Dimpled Trout Lilies
Scientists recognize two main types, or varieties, of the Dimpled Trout Lily. These varieties are slightly different in how they grow.
- Erythronium umbilicatum subsp. monostolum: This type has stolons. Stolons are like little runners that grow along the ground. They can help the plant spread.
- Erythronium umbilicatum subsp. umbilicatum: This type does not have stolons. It spreads in other ways, like through its seeds.
