Trillium foetidissimum |
Trillium ludovicianum |
|
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fetid trillium, Mississippi River wakerobin, stinking trillium |
Louisiana trillium, Louisiana wakerobin |
|
Rhizomes | horizontal, brownish, thick, short, praemorse, not brittle. |
± horizontal, brownish, short, thick, 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, 1.4–2.6 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 strongly mottled in dark and bronzy green, often with central light strip, mottling becoming somewhat obscure with age, lanceolate-ovate, 5.3–9.5 × 2.3–5 cm, not glossy, margins of distal 1/3 convex-curved to apex, apex rounded-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. |
erect, odor of carrion; sepals displayed above bracts, spreading, green, lanceolate-oblanceolate, 19–35 × 2.7–4 mm, margins entire, apex rounded or acute to sometimes weakly reflexed; petals long-lasting, faintly introrsely curved-erect-spreading, weakly connivent, ± concealing stamens and ovary, dark maroon-brown, purplish, or dull greenish, or 2-colored, basal portion purple, distal portion grayish green, not spirally twisted, oblanceolate-linear, 3.5–5.5 × 0.4–0.8 cm, thick-textured, thickened and weakly clawed basally, margins entire, apex acute; stamens erect, straight, 10–18 mm; filaments olive-orange, 2–3 mm, widened basally; anthers erect, straight, olive to orange, 7–20 mm, slender, dehiscence latrorse; connectives olive to orange, straight, scarcely extended beyond anther sac; ovary purple, ovoid, 6-angled, 8–9 mm; stigmas erect, with spreading or coiled tips, distinct, pale purple, subulate, 3–6 mm, ± fleshy. |
Fruits | purplish brown, ovoid, 6-angled at least apically, fleshy. |
dark purplish green, little or no odor, ovoid, 6-angled, pulpy. |
Trillium foetidissimum |
Trillium ludovicianum |
|
Phenology | Flowering late winter–early spring (early Mar [rarely Feb]--early Apr). | Flowering late winter–early spring (early Mar–Apr). |
Habitat | River bluffs, ravines, floodplains, low ground, rich woods, road shoulders, silts, sandy-alluvium, loess soils, drier upland oak and pine woods | Low flatwoods, floodplains along streams, steep ravine slopes leading to floodplains, mixed pine-beech woods |
Elevation | 40–50 m (100–200 ft) | 50–500 m (200–1600 ft) |
Distribution |
LA; MS
|
LA; MS |
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.) |
The range of Trillium ludovicianum is near to that of T. cuneatum in Mississippi, and the two appear to intergrade. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 26, p. 110. | FNA vol. 26, p. 111. |
Parent taxa | Liliaceae > Trillium > subg. Phyllantherum | Liliaceae > Trillium > subg. Phyllantherum |
Sibling taxa | ||
Name authority | J. D. Freeman: Brittonia 27: 31, fig. 7. (1975) | Harbison: Biltmore Bot. Stud. 1: 23. (1901) |
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