Erythronium, the fawn lily, trout lily, dog's-tooth-violet or adder's tongue, is a genus of Eurasian and North American plants in the lily family, most closely related to tulips. The name Erythronium derives from Ancient Greek () "red" in Greek, referring to the red flowers of E. dens-canis. with Erythronium dens-canis as the type species.
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Image
! Species
! Common name
! Distribution
|-
|120px||Erythronium albidum <small>Nutt.</small> || small white fawn-lily, white fawn-lily, white trout-lily, tooth-lily || Ontario, east-central United States (Minnesota to Connecticut south to Texas and Alabama)
|-
|120px||Erythronium americanum <small>Ker-Gawl.</small> || trout-lily, yellow trout-lily, yellow adder's-tongue, yellow dogtooth violet || Eastern Canada (Ontario to Labrador), Eastern United States (Maine to Georgia, west to the Mississippi River)
|-
|120px||Erythronium californicum <small>Purdy</small> || California fawn-lily || Northern California
|-
|120px||Erythronium caucasicum <small>Woronow</small> || Caucasian dog's-tooth-violet || Caucasus, Iran
|-
|120px||Erythronium citrinum <small>S. Wats.</small> || cream fawn-lily || Oregon, Northern California
|-
|120px||Erythronium dens-canis <small>L.</small> || dog's-tooth-violet || Southern and central Europe from Portugal to Ukraine
|-
|||Erythronium elegans <small>Hammond & Chambers</small> || Coast Range fawn-lily || Oregon
|-
|120px||Erythronium grandiflorum <small>Pursh</small> || dogtooth lily, glacier lily, yellow avalanche-lily, yellow fawn-lily || western Canada, western United States
|-
|120px|| Erythronium helenae <small>Applegate</small> || Pacific fawn-lily || California (Sonoma, Napa, Lake Cos.)
|-
|120px||Erythronium hendersonii <small>S. Wats.</small> || Henderson's fawn-lily || Oregon, Northern California
|-
||| Erythronium howellii <small>S. Wats.</small> || Howell's fawn-lily || Oregon, Northern California
|-
|||Erythronium idahoense <small>H.St.John & G.N.Jones -</small> || Idaho fawn-lily || Montana, Idaho, Washington state
|-
|120px|| Erythronium japonicum <small>Decne.</small> || katakuri || Japan, Korea, Russia (Kuril Islands, Sakhalin), northeastern China (Jilin, Liaoning)
|-
|120px|| Erythronium klamathense <small>Applegate</small> || Klamath fawn-lily || Oregon, Northern California
|-
||| Erythronium krylovii <small>Stepanov</small> || Tuvan trout-lily || Russia (Tuva, Krasnoyarsk)
|-
|120px||Erythronium mesochoreum <small>Knerr</small> || midland fawn-lily, white fawn-lily || Central United States (TX to NE, IN)
|-
|120px||Erythronium montanum <small>S. Wats.</small> || avalanche lily, white avalanche-lily || BC, Washington state, Oregon
|-
|120px|| Erythronium multiscapideum <small>(Kellogg) A. Nels. & Kennedy</small> || Sierra fawn-lily || California
|-
|120px|| Erythronium oregonum <small>Applegate</small> || giant white fawn-lily || BC, Washington, California, Oregon
|-
||| Erythronium pluriflorum <small>Shevock, Bartel & G.A.Allen</small> || manyflower fawn-lily || Madera Co in California
|-
|120px|| Erythronium propullans <small>Gray</small> || dwarf trout-lily || Minnesota
|-
|120px|| Erythronium purpurascens <small>S. Wats.</small> || purple fawn-lily || California
|-
|120px|| Erythronium pusaterii <small>(Munz & J.T. Howell) Shevock, Bartel & G.A.Allen</small> || Kaweah Lakes fawn-lily || Tulare Co in California
|-
||| Erythronium quinaultense <small>G.A.Allen</small> || Olympic fawn-lily || Olympic Peninsula in Washington state
|-
|120px|| Erythronium revolutum <small>Sm.</small> || mahogany fawn-lily || BC, Washington state, Oregon, California
|-
|120px|| Erythronium rostratum <small>W.Wolf</small> || yellow trout-lily || south-central United States
|-
|120px|| Erythronium sajanense <small>Stepanov & Stassova</small> || || Krasnoyarsk in Russia
|-
|120px|| Erythronium shastense <small>D.A.York, J.K.Nelson & D.W.Taylor</small> || Shasta fawn lily || Northern California
|-
|120px|| Erythronium sibiricum <small>(Fisch. & C.A.Mey.) Krylov</small> || Siberian fawn-lily || Siberia, Kazakhstan, Xinjiang, Mongolia
|-
|120px|| Erythronium sulevii <small>(Rukšans) Stepanov</small> || || Altay Krai in Russia
|-
|120px|| Erythronium taylorii <small>Shevock & G.A.Allen</small> || Taylor's fawn-lily || Tuolumne Co California
|-
|120px|| Erythronium tuolumnense <small>Applegate</small> || Tuolumne fawn-lily || Tuolumne Co in California
|-
|120px|| Erythronium umbilicatum <small>Parks & Hardin</small> || dimpled trout-lily || southeastern United States (Florida to Kentucky, West Virginia, Maryland)
|}
Formerly included
Two species names were coined using the name Erythronium which have since been reclassified to other taxa.
- Erythronium carolinianum, now called Uvularia perfoliata
- Erythronium hyacinthoides, now called Drimia indica
Cultivation and uses
Erythroniums are woodland plants and require rich soil, full of organic matter. Soil should be evenly moist and slightly acidic. They prefer shade or filtered sunlight.
Erythroniums are widely grown as ornamental plants, with numerous hybrids and cultivars having been selected for garden use. Popular cultivars include Erythronium 'Pagoda', E. 'Sundisc', E. 'Joanna', E. 'Kondo', E. 'Citronella', E. californicum 'White Beauty', and E. 'Rosalind'. Propagation is best by seed in autumn or by division of bulbs, depending on species. Some species propagate vegetatively. The plant is also used as a ground cover; it will spread over several years.
The following cultivars, of mixed ancestry, have won the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit:
- 'Apple Blossom' (white with yellow centre)
- 'Janice' (pink)
- 'Joanna' (cream/pale yellow throat)
- 'Pagoda' (cream yellow)
- 'Sundisc' (yellow)
- 'Wildside Seedling' (white/yellow)
The bulb is edible as a root vegetable, cooked or dried, and can be ground into flour. The leaves can also be cooked as a leaf vegetable. In Japan, Erythronium japonicum is called katakuri, and the bulb is processed to produce starch, which is used for food and other purposes.
See also
- List of plants known as lily