Severe frost but not shade could limit the future growing season of Erythronium americanum

Abstract

Changes in climate are leading to modifications in the timing of seasonal events such as migrations and flowering. Erythronium americanum (trout lily) can break bud early in response to warming, but changes to its growing season may be limited by early shade from canopy trees and frost. I experimentally assessed the impact of shade and frost on senescence in E. americanum and descriptively monitored the response of E. americanum to vernal air and soil temperatures in a garden setting. Early shade did not affect the timing of senescence. Experimental exposure to frost resulted in increased leaf damage, earlier senescence, and greater corm death than in control plants. Despite ten days in which the air temperature dropped below freezing, there was no evidence of leaf damage in the field. These results suggest that early shade from canopy trees will not hasten the end of the future growing season for E. americanum, but that late frost could bring about early senescence if that frost is sufficiently hard.