Erythronium 'Kondo'
Common name: Yellow Trout Lily, Fawn Lily, Dog's Tooth Violet
Erythronium is a genus in the Lily family (Liliaceae). It is native to North America and Eurasia. It is known by several common names, Fawn Lily because of the dappled colouring of the leaves, Trout Lily because the leaves resemble a trout's mottled skin, and Dog's Tooth Violet because the corm is shaped like a dog's canine tooth. Erythronium is a clump-forming woodland plant that thrives in shady areas. It blooms in mid spring and goes dormant by July.
Erythronium 'Kondo' is a hybrid of two species of Trout Lily native to California, Erythronium toulumnense and Erythronium californicum. It has soft yellow flowers with six recurved, pointed petals, a light brown ring in the throat, and deep yellow anthers. There can be up to seven flowers on each stem. The tongue-shaped leaves are mottled. Erythronium 'Kondo' increases by offsets, not by seed.
Erythronium 'Kondo' can be found in the North American Nativars area of VanDusen, and several other spots.
Text and photos by Kumi Sutcliffe