Trillium grandiflorum |
Trillium rugelii |
|
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great white trillium, large-flower trillium, trille grandiflore, white trillium, white wake-robin |
illscented wakerobin, southern nodding trillium |
|
Rhizomes | short, thick, praemorse. |
short, thick, tapered to point distally. |
Scapes | (1–)2–3(–many), round in cross section, 1.5–3+ dm, thick, glabrous. |
1–3, round in cross section, 1.5–4 dm, robust, glabrous. |
Bracts | sessile or subsessile (occasionally weakly cuneate basally); blade dark green with maroon overtones early, ovate-rhombic, 12–20 × 8–15 cm, apex acuminate. |
sessile to subsessile; blade bright green, veins not engraved, rhombic, broader than long, 6–15 × 6–16 cm, not glossy, base attenuate, apex acuminate. |
Flower | outfacing, erect, odorless; sepals spreading, flat, green, very rarely streaked with maroon-purple, lanceolate, 20–55 × 12–23 mm, margins entire, apex acuminate or acute; petals erect basally, recurving somewhat above middle to produce strongly funnelform corolla, obscuring ovary and base of style, white or rarely pink, without V-shaped or other markings, fading to dull pinkish purple, veins of adaxial surface conspicuous but not appearing engraved, shape variable, lanceolate to oblong, obovate, or, rarely, suborbicular, sides often parallel, 4–7.5 × 2–4 cm, thin-textured, base abruptly attenuate, margins overlapping basally, rolled, undulate-wavy in distal 1/2, apex ± acuminate; stamens straight or barely recurved, 9–27 mm; filaments white, much shorter than anthers, relatively thin; anthers recurving slightly, pale yellow, strongly yellow when pollen exposed, long, 5–16 mm, slender, dehiscence introrse; ovary inconspicuous, pale green or white, ovoid, 6-angled, 8–18 mm, basal attachment narrower than ovary width; style barely united for 0.5–2 mm or merely closely grouped and separate; stigmas erect, becoming spreading, weakly connate basally, pale green-white, uniformly linear, 3–18 mm, equaling or exceeding ovary, slender; pedicel erect-ascending to strongly erect, 2–8+ cm. |
strongly recurved below bracts; sepals shorter than petals and somewhat obscured by them, spreading, green, very rarely streaked with red, lanceolate-elliptic, 15–40 × 7–17 mm, margins entire, apex acuminate; petals recurving in distal 1/2 in most forms (forms from Alabama with petals slightly narrower and strongly recurved just above base), white, rarely 2-colored with base rose or dark purple and white, adaxial veins conspicuous, broadly ovate-elliptic, 2.5–5 × 0.8–3.5 cm, heavy-textured, margins entire, without undulations, apex abruptly acuminate; stamens ± straight, 8–18 mm; filaments deep purple, 2–8 mm, slender; anthers ± straight, dark purple, 12–16 mm, thin, dehiscence introrse; connectives not extended beyond anther sacs; ovary prominent, purple-streaked or maroon distally or throughout, flask-shaped, 6-angled, 14–17 mm, widely attached at base; stigmas recurved, distinct, dark purple, not lobed adaxially, subulate, 2–5 mm, fleshy; pedicel strongly recurved beneath bracts, 1–7+ cm. |
Fruits | pale green, odorless, ± globose, obscurely 6-angled, 1.2–1.6 × 0.8–1.4 cm, mealy, moist (not juicy). |
baccate, dark reddish purple, fragrance faintly of fruit, ovoid to orbicular, 1.7 × 2 cm, fleshy, juicy. |
2n | = 10. |
= 10. |
Trillium grandiflorum |
Trillium rugelii |
|
Phenology | Late spring–early summer (Apr–Jun). | Flowering mid spring (mid Apr–May). |
Habitat | Rich deciduous or mixed coniferous-deciduous upland woods, floodplains, roadsides | Deciduous forest hillsides and coves, inner piedmont, mostly in alluvial soils along stream banks and flats |
Elevation | 20–700 m (100–2300 ft) | 200–700 m (700–2300 ft) |
Distribution |
CT; DE; GA; IA; IL; IN; KY; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; NC; NH; NJ; NY; OH; PA; SC; TN; VA; VT; WI; WV; NS; ON; QC
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AL; GA; NC; SC; TN
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Discussion | Most variants of Trillium grandiflorum have green stripes or markings on the petals, many with numerous (4–30+) extra petals and/or bracts, and, often, much-deformed, monstrous characteristics. G. R. Hooper et al. (1971) showed that mycoplasmic organisms were present in all such forms examined, and were absent from normal plants. Most such forms should not be named taxonomically but, unfortunately, many have been. Nearly all of those that I examined represented stages in the development of the mycoplasma infection. Trillium grandiflorum, unlike most trilliums, produces many-petaled “double” forms. Forma roseum Farwell, opening a striking clear salmon-pink, occurs very rarely throughout the range, but is frequent in mixed or pure colonies along the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
The Alabama plants of Trillium rugelii differ from those in the Great Smoky Mountains region in having usually smaller bracts, narrower ovate petals strongly recurved from the base, and strongly fragrant flowers with the odor of old-fashioned garden roses. The anther color and structure are the same as in the mountain form. Hybrids between T. vaseyi and T. rugelii occur frequently. Trillium rugelii has been much confused with T. cernuum in past floras, and it is the taxon upon which most reports of T. cernuum south of Virginia are based. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 26. | FNA vol. 26, p. 103. |
Parent taxa | Liliaceae > Trillium > subg. Trillium | Liliaceae > Trillium > subg. Trillium |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | T. rhomboideum var. grandiflorum, T. erythrocarpum | |
Name authority | (Michaux) Salisbury: Parad. Lond. 1: plate 1. (1805) | Rendle: J. Bot. 39: 331, plate 426, fig. B1901 (as rugeli) |
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