Flower profile

Dimpled trout lily

Erythronium umbilicatum

Dimpled trout lily (Erythronium umbilicatum) is a flowering plant in the Liliaceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly February–April across the U.S.

Native in the lower 48

Dimpled trout lily is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 2 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in February–April.

10states where USDA records it

2Bloomipedia state lists include it

5,594U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Georgia, North Carolina

Quick look

Erythronium umbilicatum, the dimpled trout lily, is a species of flowering plant in the lily family. It is native to the Southeastern United States, primarily in the Piedmont and Southern Appalachian areas. It is reported from West Virginia, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.
From Wikipedia's article Erythronium umbilicatum, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Liliaceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a perennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 10 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
NatureServe lists it as native to North Carolina and Georgia. ^NatureServe
In North Carolina, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in February–April. ^iNaturalist
In Georgia, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in February–March. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 2,948 research-grade sightings of it in North Carolina, ranking #55 among the 192 flowers on our North Carolina list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 1,584 research-grade sightings of it in Georgia, ranking #46 among the 183 flowers on our Georgia list. ^iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (2,730 records)

Bloom time in the 2 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
North Carolina	Native	February–April	2,948
Georgia	Native	February–March	1,584

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe global: G5 Secure worldwide. ^NatureServe
North Carolina: Not listed Not on North Carolina Protected Plant Species List (02 NCAC 48F .0301). NatureServe: S5, secure in North Carolina. ^{02 NCAC 48F .0301}
Georgia: Not listed Not on Georgia protected plants (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 391-4-10-.09; a 2026 update is proposed). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Georgia. ^{Ga. R. 391-4-10-.09}
Rare elsewhere: No other U.S. state ranks it S1, S2, SH or SX.

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleNot well documented

None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no edibility or poison notes on its page), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people. ^{NC State Extension}

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list, and NC State Extension doesn't flag it for pets.

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records dimpled trout lily in 10 states plus Washington, D.C.

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recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia; District of Columbia.

Georgia counties with USDA records: Butts, Carroll, Catoosa, Columbia, Dade, DeKalb, Early, Forsyth, Greene, Habersham, Hall, Harris, Hart, Henry, Jackson, Lamar, Murray, Oglethorpe, Putnam, Rabun, Randolph, Rockdale, Stephens, Taylor, Towns, Union, Walker, Walton, Washington, Wilkes.

Names, range and relatives

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 118 counties across 8 states; the most are in Virginia (50), Georgia (30), Tennessee (14).

Other Erythronium on Bloomipedia (6): Yellow trout lily, White fawnlily, Glacier lily, Giant white fawn lily, Avalanche lily, Beaked trout-lily.

More from the Liliaceae family (32 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Cucumber root, Bluebead lily, Checker lily, White globe lily, Yellow mariposa lily, Tolmie's pussy ears, Columbia lily, Hooker's fairybells.

More North Carolina flowers

Cucumber root

Medeola virginiana

Native

🌼 Blooms in NC: May–June

Turk's-cap lily

Lilium superbum

Native

🌼 Blooms in NC: July–August

Carolina lily

Lilium michauxii

★ NC state wildflowerNative

🌼 Blooms in NC: July–August

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile ERUM2.
iNaturalist, Erythronium umbilicatum: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Erythronium umbilicatum (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
North Carolina: North Carolina Protected Plant Species List (02 NCAC 48F .0301).
North Carolina: North Carolina Noxious Weed List (02 NCAC 48A .1702) (the list names any non-native Lythrum; we apply it to purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria), which isn't native).
Georgia: Georgia protected plants (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 391-4-10-.09; a 2026 update is proposed).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Erythronium umbilicatum (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: NC State Extension.
Photo: Michael J. Papay via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.