Trillium albidum |
Trillium discolor |
|
---|---|---|
giant trillium, giant white wakerobin, sessile trillium, smallflower trillium, white toadshade |
mottled wakerobin, pale yellow trillium, small yellow toadshade |
|
Rhizomes | horizontal, ± erect, brown, superficially bulblike, short, thick, not brittle. |
horizontal, brownish, short or somewhat compressed-thickened, bulblike, praemorse, not brittle. |
Scapes | often several from same rhizome terminus, round in cross section, 2.2–5.8 dm, stout. |
1–2, 1–2.2 dm, slender, essentially glabrous. |
Bracts | held well above ground, sessile; blade weakly mottled with scattered, darker green spots, mottling often fading later in season, broadly ovate, 10–20 × 12–15 cm, not glossy, base rounded, apex obtuse. |
held well above ground, sessile; blade mottled dark green over lighter green, mottling fading or blurring with time, ovate, elliptic to almost circular, 6–13 × 4–7 cm, apex acute to acuminate. |
Flower | borne directly upon bracts, erect, fragrance roselike; sepals conspicuous, spreading, displayed above bracts, pale green, lanceolate, 30–65 × 12–15 mm, margins entire, apex acute; petals long-lasting, usually erect or slightly spreading, ± connivent, ± concealing stamens and ovary basally, white to creamy white, rarely soft pinkish rose near base, veins prominent but not engraved, not spirally twisted, obovate, more lanceolate in young plants, 4.8–8 × 2.2–3 cm, widest at or just above middle, ± thick-textured, base cuneate, margins entire, ± flat, apex rounded to acute; stamens erect, greenish white, 15–25 mm; filaments whitish green, 3–4 mm, slender; anthers erect, straight, yellow, 11–20 mm, dehiscence latrorse; connectives straight, extended ca. 1 mm beyond anther sacs, rounded; ovary green or occasionally purple, ovoid, rounded 6-gonal, 6–11 mm; stigmas erect to spreading, distinct, sessile, subulate, 4–7 mm, thin distally. |
erect, odor faintly pleasant, resembling sweetshrub (Calycanthus sp.); sepals displayed above bracts, spreading, green, oblong-lanceolate, shorter than petals, 20–30 × 7–19 mm, margins entire, apex acute; petals long-lasting, erect, ± connivent, ± concealing stamens and ovary to spreading distally, soft pale sulfur-yellow, fading to ± cream, sometimes slightly spirally twisted, widely spatulate, clawed basally, 2.2–5 × 0.9–1.5 cm, thick-textured, margins entire, often upraised adaxially, at least 1 petal with apex strongly apiculate, nipplelike, others with apex apiculate-acuminate; claw green, sometimes obscurely marked or mottled with purple, broadly cuneate; stamens incurved-erect, 8–15 mm; filaments purple, 1–2.5 mm; anthers erect, straight or arcuate, brown, 6.5–14 mm, dehiscence introrse-latrorse; connectives straight, extending 1–2 mm beyond anthers; ovary purplish, ovoid, 6-ridged, 2.5–8.5 mm; stigmas divergent to erect, distinct, purplish white, subulate, short, 2–6 mm, ± fleshy. |
Fruits | green or purplish green, fragrance unknown, ovoid to globose, pulpy, juicy. |
baccate, greenish white, subglobose, weakly 6-winged, 1–5 × 1 cm, pulpy or mealy, not juicy. |
2n | = 10. |
|
Trillium albidum |
Trillium discolor |
|
Phenology | Flowering spring (mid Mar–late Apr). | Flowering spring (mid Apr–early May). |
Habitat | Moist slopes in rich mixed deciduous-coniferous forests or coniferous stands, brushy thickets on flats, open fields, pastures, and fencerows, dense second-growth coniferous forests, floodplains along streams and larger rivers | Rather acidic to clearly circumneutral or basic soils of mixed deciduous forests, often under oaks, near Rhododendron thickets, or near tangles of Leucothoë on moist stream banks, slopes near streams |
Elevation | 100–200 m [300–700 ft] | 100–200 m [300–700 ft] |
Distribution |
CA; OR
|
GA; NC; SC
|
Discussion | Trillium discolor occurs only in the upper drainage of the Savannah River, but it is locally frequent within its limited range. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
|
Source | FNA vol. 26, p. 106. | FNA vol. 26, p. 109. |
Parent taxa | ||
Sibling taxa | ||
Name authority | J. D. Freeman: Brittonia 27: 48, fig. 11. (1975) | T. Wray ex Hooker: Bot. Mag. 58: plate 3097. (1831) |
Web links |