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fetid trillium, Mississippi River wakerobin, stinking trillium

graceful trillium, Sabine River wakerobin, slender trillium

Rhizomes

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

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

Scapes

1–2, green to maroon, round in cross section, 0.8–2.8 dm, papillose basally.

1–3, round in cross section, 1.6–3.5 dm, slender, glabrous.

Bracts

often carried quite horizontally, well above ground, sessile;

blade light green or bronze-green, strongly mottled in dark green with central light green stripe, mottling becoming obscure with age but less so than in most species, elliptic-ovate, rarely ± orbicular, 6.7–12 × 3.8–6 cm, not glossy, base evenly tapered to broad attachment, apex obtuse-acute.

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 on bracts, odor of putrid meat, especially when in strong sunlight;

sepals displayed above bracts, carried almost horizontally, green or green streaked with dark maroon, lanceolate, 16–40 × 4–6 mm, thick-textured, margins entire, apex acute;

petals long-lasting, erect, very gradually incurved from base to apex, ± connivent, ± concealing stamens and ovary, pinkish purple, light to reddish purple, brownish purple, rarely yellow, fading to brownish tones with age, not spirally twisted, not inrolling with age, veins not engraved, narrowly elliptic to linear-lanceolate, 2–5 × 0.3–0.5 cm, thick-textured, not glossy, margins entire, flat, acute at apex;

stamens relatively prominent, erect, 9–25 mm;

filaments dark maroon, 3–6 mm, dilated basally;

anthers straight, dark maroon-black, 8–15 mm, dehiscence introrse;

connectives straight, extended 1–1.5 mm beyond anther sacs;

ovary red-purple, ovoid, hexagonal in cross section, 5–12 mm, broadly attached;

stigmas erect, divergent-recurved, distinct, dark purple, subulate, nearly as long as ovary, fleshy.

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

purplish brown, ovoid, 6-angled at least apically, fleshy.

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

Trillium foetidissimum

Trillium gracile

Phenology Flowering late winter–early spring (early Mar [rarely Feb]--early Apr). Flowering spring (early–mid Apr).
Habitat River bluffs, ravines, floodplains, low ground, rich woods, road shoulders, silts, sandy-alluvium, loess soils, drier upland oak and pine woods Mature pine and hardwood forests, banks and ridges of dissected stream- beds, rather dense shade, low sandy flatwoods
Elevation 40–50 m (100–200 ft) 0–10 m (0–0 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
LA; MS
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
LA; TX
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Trillium foetidissimum seems tolerant of a wide range of soil moistures and types, from low, swampy woods to high, dry bluffs and ravine slopes. This is the only Trillium known to occur within its Louisiana range (J. D. Freeman 1975). Freeman considered it to be closely related to T. sessile.

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

Source FNA vol. 26, p. 110. FNA vol. 26, p. 110.
Parent taxa Liliaceae > Trillium > subg. Phyllantherum Liliaceae > Trillium > subg. Phyllantherum
Sibling taxa
T. albidum, T. angustipetalum, T. catesbaei, T. cernuum, T. chloropetalum, T. cuneatum, T. decipiens, T. decumbens, T. discolor, T. erectum, T. flexipes, 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: 31, fig. 7. (1975) J. D. Freeman: Sida 3: 289. (1969)
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