Illinois Natural History Survey - University of Illinois

Erythronium americanum
Yellow trout lily
Taxonomy

Synonyms:

Subspecific taxa:

Classification:

Other taxonomic & nomenclature sources: USDA Plants;  ITIS;  The Plant List;  IPNI

Images

   
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Species Distribution
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More about map & occurrence records

County Map Legend
Absent:
Not known from county
Medium confidence:
Medium or unknown confidence;
often old records or unverifiable observations
Medium-high confidence:
Often observations by expert botanists
High confidence:
Often vouchered herbarium records
Planted / introduced:
Native species introduced outside historic range,
or only in planted locations within county (e.g., restorations)
Historic / extirpated:
Only historic records for the species; likely extirpated
(Note that this category is not yet functional)

North American distribution maps for this species: FLNA;  USDA Plants;  BONAP;  BISON

Collections, Observations & Flowering by Month [?]

J
0
F
0
M
0
A
0
M
0
J
0
J
0
A
0
S
0
O
0
N
0
D
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Collections & Observations by Decade [?]

Species Status

Status/Listing: No Information

Notes:

Origin: Native

Species Description

General: Monocot, perennial

Roots: adventitious, corms, bulbs

Shoots: basal leaf arrangment; simple leaf type; entire leaf margin; Parallel leaf venation; linear, oblong leaf shape

Inflorescence: solitary

Flowers: perfect; 3 merous; complete, regular; yellow; hypogynous ovary position

Fruit: capsule

Physiology: autotrophic

Reproduction: sexual, vegetative

Ecology & Natural History

Habitat: Species is distributed with Acer saccharum; Fagus grandifolia; Ulmus americana; found in springy spots in woods.

ILPIN Notes: Leaves appear basal but actually start below ground and are subopposite. Versus E. albidum, this species has lower leaf surface which is rich green and without any mottling. Handel, S. N., S. B. Fisch, and G. E. Schatz. 1981. Ants disperse a majority of herbs in a mesic forest community in New York State. Torrey Botanical Club Bulletin 108: 430-437. Wein, G. R., and S. T. A. Pickett. 1989. Dispersal, establishment, and survivorship of a cohort of Erythronium americanum. Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club 116: 240-246. Greens and bulbs form in early spring; in late summer and autumn, species may be used as a potherb, cooked as a vegetable. Species is occasional in NE, east central and southern counties, and Calhoun county. Seeds are dispersed by ants (Handel et al., 1981). Species known as Erythronium umbilicatum in SCS V.2.

Functional Relationships:

  • Pollinators:
  • Dispersal: insect
  • Mycorrhizae:
  • N2 fixation:

Human Relationships:

  • Edibility [?] :
  • Showy Flowers:

Wildlife and Livestock Information:

  • Food Value:
  • Cover Value:

Coefficient of Conservatism (C-value) [?] :

  • Entire State: 7
  • Chicago Area: 8

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