Trillium cernuum
Trillium discolor
nodding trillium, nodding wakerobin, trille penché, whip-poor-will-flower
mottled wakerobin, pale yellow trillium, small yellow toadshade
short, thick.
horizontal, brownish, short or somewhat compressed-thickened, bulblike, praemorse, not brittle.
1–2(–3), round in cross section, 1.5–4+ dm, slender, glabrous.
1–2, 1–2.2 dm, slender, essentially glabrous.
often overlapping, sessile or with a barely noticeable, petiolelike base, umbrellalike;
blade bright green without red tones, broadly rhombic-ovate to suborbicular, 5–15 × 6–15+ cm, base attenuate, apex acuminate.
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.
usually hidden beneath bracts, nodding, odorless;
sepals spreading, green, lanceolate-ovate, 9–30 mm, slightly shorter than to equaling petals, margins slightly raised, apex acuminate;
petals usually strongly recurved from above base, extending behind plane of sepal bases for more than 1/2 their length, white or rarely pale pink, adaxial veins not conspicuous, oblong-lanceolate, 1.5–2.5 × 0.9–1.5 cm, thin-textured, margins entire, apex acuminate;
stamens ± straight, 6–15 mm, shorter than pistil, slender;
filaments white, ± equaling anthers, slender;
anthers straight, pale lavender-pink or -gray, 2–6.5 mm, dehiscence introrse to latrorse;
ovary prominent, white to pinkish, pyramidal, strongly 6-angled, 3–12 × 3–10 mm, widest above basal attachment;
stigmas erect, recurved, distinct, white, not lobed adaxially, 3–8 mm, widest at base, fleshy, basally thickened, gradually tapered;
pedicel strongly recurved or declined below or angled between bracts, 1.5–3 cm.
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.
dark red, with fruity fragrance, ovoid, to 3 cm diam., fleshy, juicy.
baccate, greenish white, subglobose, weakly 6-winged, 1–5 × 1 cm, pulpy or mealy, not juicy.
= 10.
= 10.
Trillium cernuum
Trillium discolor
Previous authors commonly recognized var. cernuum and var. macranthum, based primarily upon size differences. Plants attributed to var. cernuum are found from Delaware and eastern Pennsylvania northward to Newfoundland, while those attributed to var. macranthum are found mainly farther inland into the Midwest. Although there is a tendency for the eastern seaboard plants to be somewhat smaller and more delicate, and the midwestern and far northern plants to be more robust, there is much variation, largely dependent on soil nutrients. There are regional size trends, but based on my observations of this species in Newfoundland, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, I do not believe that the two varieties can be maintained.
In the Gray Herbarium, there is a collection by Richardson labeled “Mackenzie River,” which has been cited by H. M. Raup (1947) and others. W. J. Hooker ([1829–]1833–1840) reported Trillium cernuum “from Saskatchewan to Mackenzie River.” Raup stated that “it is the only evidence for the occurrence of...Trillium in the entire Mackenzie Basin.” Other writers have simply quoted that statement. In view of the relatively great disjunction from the known Saskatchewan stations and in the absence of any other supporting specimens from that area, I believe that there might be locality error on the Richardson sheet. However, it is not beyond possibility that T. cernuum could occur there. This apparent disjunct station is not mapped here.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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.)
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