English: Harbinger of spring; Pepper and salt.
Clades: Erigenieae; Apiaceae; Apiales; Campanulidae; Asteranae.
Genus: 1 species.
Region: eastern North America.
Habitat: rich hardwood forests.
Culture: endangered plants, in Pennsylvania threatened.
Use: bulb for food, cooked and raw; ornamental.

BotanyPerennial, small herb; 5–15 cm tall; one of the earliest blooming native wildflowers
Stem: spherical bulb, growing a single purplish stem, which terminates in an umbel.
Inflorescence: umbels with numerous, closely arranged, simultaneously blooming flowers from February to early April.
Flowers: white; anthers large, dark-reddish; petals teardrop shaped; 3-4 millimeters long, widely spaced.
Leaves: sheathed at the base; pinnately divided into many small sections.
Pollination: solitary bees, flies and honey bees.