| Dog's tooth violet | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Liliales |
| Family: | Liliaceae |
| Subfamily: | Lilioideae |
| Tribe: | Lilieae |
| Genus: | Erythronium |
| Species: | E. dens-canis
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| Binomial name | |
| Erythronium dens-canis | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
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Synonymy
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Erythronium dens-canis, the dog's-tooth-violet[2] or dogtooth violet, is a bulbous herbaceous perennial flowering plant in the family Liliaceae, growing to 25 cm (10 in). It is native to central and southern Europe from Portugal to Ukraine.[3] It is the only naturally occurring species of Erythronium in Europe. Despite its common name, it is not closely related to the true violets of genus Viola.[4]
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".[5][6]
Erythronium dens-canis is found in damp, lightly shaded settings such as deciduous woodland.
Its leaves may be consumed raw in salad, or boiled as a leaf vegetable. The bulb is also the source of a starch used in making vermicelli.[7]
Numerous names have been coined at the varietal level for plants once considered to be included within Erythronium dens-canis. None of the European varieties is now recognized as meriting recognition but some of the Asian species are now regarded as distinct species.
