Practical
Plants

Erythronium dens-canis

Dog's-Tooth Violet

a member of the Erythronium genus in the family Liliaceae.

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Taxonomy and growth

Family
Liliaceae
Height
0.15 m
Spread
0.1 m
Fertility
Insects
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Insects

Uses

Toxicity

Toxicity warning. The historical record reports a hazard for this plant. Do not use it to decide which parts are safe to eat or use medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Skin contact with the bulbs has been known to cause dermatitis in sensitive people[13].

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Bulb - raw or cooked and used as a vegetable[10]. It can be dried to make a flour[6][10][12] and is also the source of a starch used in making 'vermicelli' and cakes[3]. Leaves - cooked[10][12][3]. Eating the leaves will greatly reduce the vigour of the bulb, so can only be recommended in times of emergency[K].

Plant part
Leaves
Plant part
Root

Environment

Range
Europe.
Habitat
Woods, scrub and mountain grassland, to 1700 metres[11].
Shade tolerance
partial shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 3+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a shady position in a cold frame. Water lightly in summer, it should germinate in autumn or winter[2][4]. Stored seed requires a period of cold stratification[2]. Sow as early in spring as possible in a cold frame. Sow the seed thinly so that it will not be necessary to prick them out for their first year of growth. Give an occasional liquid feed to the seedlings to make sure that they do not become nutrient deficient. When the plants are dormant, pot up the small bulbs putting 2 - 3 bulbs in each pot. Grow them on in a shady position in the greenhouse for another 2 3 years and then plant them out into their permanent positions when they are dormant in late summer. Division of the bulbs in the summer as the leaves die down[1]. Larger bulbs can be replanted immediately into their permanent positions, but it is best to pot up smaller bulbs and grow them on in a shady position in a greenhouse for a year before planting them out when dormant in late summer.

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Prefers slightly acid soil conditions but succeeds in chalky soils if these contain plenty of humus[2]. Requires semi-shade, preferably provided by trees or shrubs, and a well-drained soil[9][2]. Succeeds in almost any light soil, preferring one that is rich in humus[1]. Thrives in light grass[14][4]. This species does not flower very freely, increasing mainly by its stoloniferous habit[2]. Flowers are produced in 3 - 4 years from seed[2]. Bulbs should be planted about 7cm deep[1]. There are many named forms, selected for their ornamental value[5]. Many of these cultivars have a habit to divide freely to form clumps containing many small non-flowering bulbs[7]. To remedy this, the bulbs should be lifted and divided, replanting them singly about 10cm below soil level[8].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3

  2. Bird. R. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 4. Thompson and Morgan. 1990-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6

  3. Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9

    ↩1↩2

  4. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2

  5. Coffey. T. The History and Folklore of North American Wild Flowers. Facts on File. 1993-00-00 ISBN 0-8160-2624-6

    ↩

  6. Sholto-Douglas. J. Alternative Foods.

    ↩

  7. Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998-00-00 ISBN 0-88192-453-9

    ↩

  8. RHS. Wisley, Surrey. The Garden. Volume 124. 1999. RHS. Wisley, Surrey. 1999-00-00 ISBN 0308 5457

    ↩

  9. Grey. C. H. Hardy Bulbs. Williams & Norgate. 1938-00-00

    ↩

  10. Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3

  11. ? Flora Europaea Cambridge University Press 1964-00-00

    ↩

  12. Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974-00-00 ISBN 0094579202

    ↩1↩2

  13. Frohne. D. and Pf�nder. J. A Colour Atlas of Poisonous Plants. Wolfe 1984-00-00 ISBN 0723408394

    ↩

  14. Phillips. R. and Rix. M. Bulbs Pan Books 1989-00-00 ISBN 0-330-30253-1

    ↩

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