Leaf
Patrick Hacker · CC BY 4.0
Dog's-tooth violet
Erythronium dens-canis L.
Family: Liliaceae
10 to 15 cm tall
Light woodland and cool meadows; planted in groups under deciduous trees in the garden
Flowering: March – April
Part shade
Shade
Hardy to about -20°C
❓ How do you recognise this plant?
Its name comes from the shape of its elongated white bulb, which resembles a dog's canine tooth when dug up.
🍃 Leaves
Two basal leaves, ovate-lanceolate, mottled with brown-purple
🌸 Flowers
Solitary, nodding, with 6 pink to violet tepals strongly recurved upwards, revealing the stamens
🍎 Fruits
Three-chambered capsule containing seeds with an appendage that ants like (elaiosome)
🪵 Bark
Not applicable — herbaceous plant with a bulb
🗺️ Distribution
Southern and central Europe; present but localised and sometimes protected in certain regions of France
🐝 Value for pollinators
Early flowers visited by the first solitary bees of spring
✂️ Horticultural uses
Naturalised in woodland or shaded rock gardens, combined with other spring bulbs
🌿 Other Liliaceae to discover
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.
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