We examined the germination ecology and the temperature requirements for germination of Erythronium dens-canis, under both outdoor and laboratory conditions. E. dens-canis is a spring flowering woodland geophyte widely distributed across Europe. Germination phenology, including embryo development and radicle and cotyledon emergence, were investigated in a natural population growing in Northern Italy. Immediately after harvest, seeds of E. dens-canis were either sown on agar in the laboratory under simulated seasonal temperatures or placed in nylon mesh sachets and buried in the wild. Embryos, undifferentiated at the time of seed dispersal, grew during summer and autumn conditions in the laboratory and in the wild, culminating in radicle emergence in winter when temperatures fell to ≈ 5 °C. Emergence of cotyledons did not occur immediately after radicle emergence, but was delayed until the end of winter. Laboratory experiments showed that temperature is the main factor controlling dormancy and germination, with seeds becoming non-dormant only when given warmth, followed by cold stratification. Unlike seeds of E. dens-canis that germinate in winter, in other Erythronium species radicle emergence occurs in autumn, while in some it is delayed until seeds are transferred from winter to spring conditions. Our results suggest that there is genetic and environmental control of the expression of seed dormancy amongst Erythronium species, which is related to local climate.