Dog's-tooth-violet Erythronium dens-canis

Features

Erythronium dens-canis, the dog's-tooth-violet or dogtooth violet, is a bulbous herbaceous perennial flowering plant in the family Liliaceae, growing to 20 cm.

Species	Perrenial
Living space	Bright forest, Clean or mixed forest, Conifer forest, Dark forest, Deciduous forest, Mixed forest
Size	10 - 15 cm

Description

Erythronium dens-canis produces a solitary white, pink or lilac flower at the beginning of spring. The petals (growing to approx. 3 cm) are reflexed at the top and yellow tinted at the base. The brown spotted leaves are ovate to lanceolate and grow in pairs. The white bulb is oblong and resembles a dog's tooth, hence the common name "dog's tooth violet" and the Latin specific epithet dens-canis, which translates as "dog's tooth". It blooms in early spring in light forests around Slovenia, but we will look for it in vain in areas where the rock base does not suit it. In Slovenia, the dog tooth violet is protected, and as a vulnerable species it is also included in the Slovenian red list of endangered plants. It grows in higher deciduous forests, and is often grown as an ornamental flower in gardens. The whole plant is edible, the leaves in some places even eaten raw in a salad. In some places, starch is also obtained from the rhizome as an addition to pasta flour.