Liliaceae, the lily family.
Description:
Plant:
Solitary yellow flower rises from a pair of brown-green mottled leaves.
To 6", perennial.
Flowers:
Yellow inside, brownish outside, with three petals and three petal-like sepals.
Heavy brownish anthers inside.
Leaves:
Single pair of basal, elliptical leaves that sheath the flower stalk.
Mottled brown and green, sometimes with light spots.
Fruit:
An ellipsoidal capsule
Blooming:
April-May
Habitat:
Deciduous woods
Comments:
One of the early spring flowers, trout lily is generally found in sizable
groups in deciduous woods before the trees leaf out.
The name refers to the mottled markings on the leaves, which suggest the
markings on a trout.
Another common name is dogtooth violet, referring to the white, tooth-shaped
bulb, but the flower is not a violet.
Where to find it:
Large patches are found scattered through the upper woods in the park
in early spring.