Yellow Adder’s Tongue

Adder's Tongue is the name for Erythronium that Palmer uses, and I appreciate its mythopoetic nature. However, this appellation is confusing: for Gerarde and other medieval authors, Adder's Tongue is a fern, while the more common American name, 'Dogtooth Violet' is also problematic – the plant is a lily, not a violet. For accuracy, we're left with 'Trout Lily', which, thought not as tuneful, describes well the mottled oval leaves that indicate the plant’s presence long before its flowering.

Option-click below to download the picture to the right as a desktop image sized at:

Samuel B. Palmer
Biology Dept.
Swarthmore College

Wednesday, April 26, 2006

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All of the Palmer Watercolors are courtesy of the Biology Department of Swarthmore College. A searchable database of the images is available through the Swarthmore library’s Triptych site.