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giant trillium, giant white wakerobin, sessile trillium, smallflower trillium, white toadshade

graceful trillium, Sabine River wakerobin, slender trillium

Rhizomes

horizontal, ± erect, brown, superficially bulblike, short, thick, not brittle.

horizontal, brownish, thick, short, praemorse, not brittle.

Scapes

often several from same rhizome terminus, round in cross section, 2.2–5.8 dm, stout.

1–3, round in cross section, 1.6–3.5 dm, slender, 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 with darker green blotches, mottling becoming obscure with age, elliptic-ovate to obovate, 6–8.5 × 2.6–4 cm, base rounded, apex obtuse or rounded, rarely acute.

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.

odor musty or funguslike;

sepals displayed above bracts, bases at right angle to scape axis, widely spreading with recurved tips, dark purple on adaxial surface, lanceolate to oblong, 20–25 × 4–5 mm, margins entire, apex obtuse;

petals long-lasting, erect, weakly connivent, at least partially obscuring stamens, dark purple or maroon, rarely yellow, not spirally twisted, linear-elliptic to oblanceolate, 2–4 × 0.3–0.8 cm, ± thick-textured, margins entire, flat, apex acute;

stamens erect, 12–16.5 mm;

filaments purple, 2–3 mm, slender;

anthers erect, straight, purple to yellow, 10–15 mm, slender, dehiscence introrse;

connectives straight, extending 0.1–1 mm beyond anther sacs;

ovary purple, ovoid, 3-angled, 4–11 mm;

stigmas erect, spreading-recurved, distinct, purple to whitish, sessile, subulate, 2–4 mm, fleshy, thickened basally.

Fruits

green or purplish green, fragrance unknown, ovoid to globose, pulpy, juicy.

dark greenish purple, fragrance not reported, ovoid, swollen enough to conceal its 3-angled nature, 1 cm, pulpy, moist.

Trillium albidum

Trillium gracile

Phenology Flowering spring (mid Mar–late Apr). Flowering spring (early–mid Apr).
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 Mature pine and hardwood forests, banks and ridges of dissected stream- beds, rather dense shade, low sandy flatwoods
Elevation 100–200 m (300–700 ft) 0–10 m (0–0 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; OR
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
LA; TX
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Source FNA vol. 26, p. 106. FNA vol. 26, p. 110.
Parent taxa Liliaceae > Trillium > subg. Phyllantherum Liliaceae > Trillium > subg. Phyllantherum
Sibling taxa
T. angustipetalum, T. catesbaei, T. cernuum, T. chloropetalum, T. cuneatum, T. decipiens, T. decumbens, T. discolor, T. erectum, T. flexipes, T. foetidissimum, T. gracile, T. grandiflorum, T. kurabayashii, T. lancifolium, T. ludovicianum, T. luteum, T. maculatum, T. nivale, T. ovatum, T. parviflorum, T. persistens, T. petiolatum, T. pusillum, T. recurvatum, T. reliquum, T. rivale, T. rugelii, T. sessile, T. simile, T. stamineum, T. sulcatum, T. underwoodii, T. undulatum, T. vaseyi, T. viride, T. viridescens
T. albidum, T. angustipetalum, T. catesbaei, T. cernuum, T. chloropetalum, T. cuneatum, T. decipiens, T. decumbens, T. discolor, T. erectum, T. flexipes, T. foetidissimum, T. grandiflorum, T. kurabayashii, T. lancifolium, T. ludovicianum, T. luteum, T. maculatum, T. nivale, T. ovatum, T. parviflorum, T. persistens, T. petiolatum, T. pusillum, T. recurvatum, T. reliquum, T. rivale, T. rugelii, T. sessile, T. simile, T. stamineum, T. sulcatum, T. underwoodii, T. undulatum, T. vaseyi, T. viride, T. viridescens
Name authority J. D. Freeman: Brittonia 27: 48, fig. 11. (1975) J. D. Freeman: Sida 3: 289. (1969)
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