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Blue Ridge wakerobin, twisted trillium

confusing trillium, jeweled wakerobin, sweet white trillium

Rhizomes

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

forming clumps, stout, praemorse.

Scapes

1–3, round in cross section, 1.5–3 dm, slender to stout, pilose-pubescent, rarely glabrous.

1–many, round in cross section, 3–6 dm, stout, glabrous.

Bracts

held well above ground, sessile;

blade light silvery or bluish green with strong to faint mottling in darker colors, mottling becoming obscure with age, ovate-lanceolate to broadly ovate, 6.3–7.6 × 3.3–5 cm, larger bracts abaxially pilose-pubescent, margins entire, apex acute.

sessile to subsessile;

blade green, major veins prominent, rhombic, 10–18 × 10–20 cm, not glossy, tapered basally, apex short-acuminate.

Flower

erect, odor strong, of carrion;

sepals displayed above bracts, spreading to ± horizontal position, green, purple markings adaxially, lanceolate-elliptic, 17–40 mm, margins entire, purple, apex acuminate;

petals long-lasting, spreading and carried in ± horizontal position unlike any other sessile trillium, very deep maroon to blackish red, rarely yellow, purple-streaked, with 1–2 spiral twists, narrowly elliptic to lanceolate or linear, narrow, 1.5–3.8 × 0.3–0.6 cm, rarely broader, thick-textured, margins entire, apex sharply acute to rounded, tips incurving slightly;

stamens fully exposed, somewhat stiffly erect, dark purple, 16–24 mm, thick;

filaments dark purple, 2–4 mm, basally dilated;

anthers erect, straight, dark purple, 13–18 mm, thick, dehiscence extrorse;

connectives dark purple, straight, coarse, flat, ± not extended beyond anther sacs;

ovary dark purple, oval, 6-angled, 5–7 mm;

stigmas erect, widely spreading, often strongly recurved or recoiled, distinct, purple, linear, 4–10 mm, slightly thickened basally.

above bracts, erect to mostly leaning, odor faintly sweet, applelike;

perianth gaping, strongly 3-dimensional;

sepals spreading, green, flat, oblanceolate-lanceolate, 20–40 × 6–15 mm, margins entire, apex mildly sulcate;

petals spreading-ascending, not recurved to weakly so at tip, creamy white, flat, adaxial veins faintly engraved, ovate to ovate-orbicular, 4–7+ × 1.5–4 cm, 1.5 times as long as sepals, heavy-textured, base rounded, margins entire, apex acuminate;

stamens erect to weakly recurved, 7–20 mm;

filaments purple or brownish, shorter than anthers, slender;

anthers weakly recurved, yellow with brown undertones, 6–20 mm, longer than ovary, slender, dehiscence introrse;

connectives purple-brown, not extending beyond anther sacs;

ovary dark purplish black, pyramidal at anthesis, very strongly 6-angled, 7–12 mm, widely attached basally;

stigmas short, mildly recurved, distinct, purple or yellow, not lobed adaxially, 2–5.5 mm, fleshy, basally widened to gradually tapered;

pedicel ± erect to mostly leaning, 4–9 cm.

Fruits

baccate, purple, odorless, ovoid, strongly 6-angled, sometimes winged, 2 × 1–1.5 cm, pulpy, moist.

baccate, dark purplish black, odorless, orbicular, 1–1.5 cm diam., fleshy, not juicy.

2n

= 10.

Trillium stamineum

Trillium simile

Phenology Flowering spring (late Mar–mid May). Flowering mid spring (Apr–May).
Habitat Dry, upland woods of deciduous trees, deciduous forest mixed with pines, soil on limestone outcroppings, mesic woods, sandy flats along medium streams, steep wooded slopes, banks of rivers Rich coves of mature forests, edges of Rhododendron thickets and at edges of forests, in moist humus soil
Elevation 50–200 m (200–700 ft) 500–700 m (1600–2300 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; MS; TN
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
GA; NC; TN
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

A recent study of matK gene sequencing (S. Kazempour Osaloo et al. 1999) placed Trillium simile with the T. grandiflorum group and T. catesbaei, which has united styles and white-angled ovaries, not with the T. erectum group. In my opinion, this may reflect an error in labeling samples, for T. simile has the dark, round ovary with three, separate, subulate stigmas and other characteristics of the T. erectum alliance. Also, it hybridizes with T. erectum and other species of that alliance. L. Barksdale (1938) described a complex of forms that he considered to be the result of such hybridization. I have seen such complexes near Maryville, Tennessee, where T. simile and T. erectum forma album occur together with a full range of intergrades between the two. Trillium catesbaei and the species related to T. grandiflorum do not hybridize with any species, and all have slightly to clearly fused, linear styles.

Clearly Trillium simile is closely related to T. vaseyi and T. erectum, but it seems to be a distinct species, though somewhat difficult to identify when not in its most robust condition.

J. K. Small (1933) reported Trillium simile to be deliciously fragrant, a quality I have not noticed in my plants.

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

Source FNA vol. 26, p. 115. FNA vol. 26.
Parent taxa Liliaceae > Trillium > subg. Phyllantherum Liliaceae > Trillium > subg. Trillium
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. 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. 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. petiolatum, T. pusillum, T. recurvatum, T. reliquum, T. rivale, T. rugelii, T. sessile, T. stamineum, T. sulcatum, T. underwoodii, T. undulatum, T. vaseyi, T. viride, T. viridescens
Synonyms T. vaseyi var. simile
Name authority Harbison: Biltmore Bot. Stud. 1: 23. (1901) Gleason: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 33: 391. (1906)
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