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bashful trillium, bashful wakerobin, Catesby's trillium

Idaho trillium, long-petioled trillium, petioled wakerobin, purple trillium, purple wakerobin, round-leaf trillium

Rhizomes

short, tapered to a point distally.

± erect, often very deep, praemorse.

Scapes

1–2, round in cross section, 2–4.5 dm, slender, glabrous.

typically 1, vertical but mostly subterranean, round in cross section, 0.4–1.7 dm, robust, glabrous.

Bracts

usually raised somewhat, exposing flower;

blade green, often with underlying purplish maroon in well-lighted plants, major veins on adaxial surface deeply engraved, elliptic-ovate, 6.5–15 × 4–8 cm, including elongated, petiolelike base, proximal 1/3 of leaf gradually tapered to base, margins often slightly raised, apex blunt-acute to acuminate.

just at or slightly above soil, long-petiolate;

blade medium green, not mottled, ovate to elliptic, 7–14 × 5.5–10.2 cm, not glossy, apex obtuse or rounded;

petiole arising from scape apex at or near ground surface, 5–12 cm;

bract and petiole strongly resembling leaves of Plantago.

Flower

opening at or recurved below bracts, rarely erect;

sepals falcate-recurved, green or streaked with purple, linear-lanceolate, 20–45 × 7–8 mm, margins ± flat, apex acuminate;

petals falcate-recurved distally, white, pink, or rose, darkening to pink or nonfading with age, veins visible but not appearing engraved, elliptic-oblong to oblong-lanceolate, 3.5–5 × 1–2+ cm, thin-textured, bases somewhat imbricated, forming funnel-like tube, margins undulate, apex acuminate;

stamens prominent, recurved, 16–25 mm;

filaments white, slightly longer and narrower than anthers;

anthers recurving, bright yellow, 5–14 mm, thick, dehiscence introrse;

ovary inconspicuous, white, angular-ovoid, deeply 6-angled, 4–12 × 3–7 mm, slender, base narrow;

style 2–6 mm;

stigmas prominent, strongly curled (circinate) to erect, connate basally, pale green or white, not lobed, 4–10 mm, uniformly thin;

pedicel deflexed or recurved, rarely erect, angled, 2–4(–5) cm.

in axil of bracts at or near ground level, ± erect, odor unknown;

sepals erect to widely spreading, often weakly recurved near middle, green, oblong-elliptic to oblanceolate, 22–47 × 7–10 mm, margins entire, apex acute;

petals long-lasting, ± connivent, ± concealing stamens and ovary, or erect-spreading early then ± connivent, erect to incurved, light maroon-red, purple, or greenish to yellowish, not spirally twisted, flat, linear-lanceolate, 3–5.5 × 0.4–1 cm, thick-textured, margins entire, apex acute;

stamens erect, (15–) 22–30 mm;

filaments olive, (3–)5–7 mm, slender;

anthers straight, brown or olive, 16–20 mm, slender, dehiscence latrose;

connectives yellow or orange, ± not extending beyond anther sacs;

ovary white, greenish, purplish distally, ovoid, sharply angled, 4–9 mm;

stigmas erect, divergent, distinct, purple or olive, linear-subulate, 7–20 mm, apex somewhat recurved.

Fruits

baccate, greenish or whitish, ovoid-globose, angles less prominent when mature, 1–1.5 cm diam., pulpy but not juicy.

fragrance not reported, ovoid, strongly angled/winged, ca. 1 cm, pulpy, moist.

2n

= 10.

Trillium catesbaei

Trillium petiolatum

Phenology Flowering spring–summer (late Mar–early Jun). Flowering spring (early Apr–late May).
Habitat Acid soils, open dry or rich woods, laurel and rhododendron thickets, cove forests Lower rocky hillsides just above stream flats, under brush, edges of coniferous and deciduous forests, open grassy glades, river-flats, wet, seasonally swampy ground and edges of sloughs
Elevation 50–800 m (200–2600 ft) 400–1400 m (1300–4600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; GA; NC; SC; TN
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
ID; OR; WA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Elliott, author of Trillium catesbaei, apparently recognized one of its forms separately as T. nervosum. This name is still mentioned in British horticultural and botanical literature, but it is rarely found in U.S. literature. North American botanists treat T. nervosum as a synonym of T. catesbaei.

Plants of Trillium catesbaei from deep coves in South Carolina tend to have petals that are deeper pink and longer and wider than those of many other populations.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 26, p. 96. FNA vol. 26, p. 113.
Parent taxa Liliaceae > Trillium > subg. Trillium Liliaceae > Trillium > subg. Phyllantherum
Sibling taxa
T. albidum, T. angustipetalum, 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. gracile, T. grandiflorum, T. kurabayashii, T. lancifolium, T. ludovicianum, T. luteum, T. maculatum, T. nivale, T. ovatum, T. parviflorum, T. persistens, 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
Synonyms T. affine, T. nervosum, T. stylosum
Name authority Elliott: Sketch Bot. S. Carolina 1: 429. (1817) Pursh: Fl. Amer. Sept. 1: 244. (1814)
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