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Barksdale trillium, furrowed wakerobin, southern red trillium

dwarf white trillium, snow trillium, snow wakerobin

Rhizomes

horizontal–slightly erect, thick, praemorse.

short, praemorse.

Scapes

1–4+, round in cross section, 3–7 dm, 2–2.5 times as long as bract, stout, glabrous.

usually 1, 6-gonal in cross section, 0.3–0.5 dm at onset of anthesis, expanding to 0.45–0.8 dm, slender, glabrous.

Bracts

subsessile;

blade obovate to broadly elliptic, 13–20 × 8–22 cm, not glossy, base attenuate, apex acuminate.

distinctly petiolate;

blade bluish green, elliptic-ovate to ovate, 1.5–4.5 cm × 0.7–34 mm, base abruptly rounded to petiole, apex round-obtuse.

Flower

facing outward at right angle to pedicel, above bracts, odor faintly musty, like fresh fungus;

perianth gaping, strongly 3-dimensional;

sepals spreading, usually streaked or entirely purplish maroon, occasionally entirely green except on margins, elliptic, 15–38 × 9–15 mm, margins entire, apex strongly sulcate-acuminate;

petals carried somewhat forward to recurved-spreading in distal 1/2, usually dark reddish maroon to purplish, rarely cream to soft yellow, pink, white, or 2-colored, heavy-veined, ovate to broadly ovate-overlapping, 1.8–5 × 1–3 cm, heavy-textured, apex acuminate, rarely somewhat sulcate;

stamens erect, ± equaling or slightly longer than ovary, 15–18 mm;

filaments purple to white, 3–5 mm, slender;

anthers straight, purplish to yellow, 5–12 mm, thick, dehiscence introrse;

connectives equaling or ± shorter than anther sacs;

ovary usually dark purple, globose to flask-shaped, 6-angled, 14–18 mm, broadly attached basally;

stigmas prominent, recurved, distinct, purple, not lobed adaxially, basally thickened, gradually tapered, 2–5 mm, fleshy;

pedicel usually stiffly erect (rarely almost horizontal above bracts), straight, reflexed ± 90° at tip, 6–11 cm.

erect, fragrance sweet;

sepals spreading, flat, bluish green, lanceolate, 10–32 × 2–7 mm, shorter than petals, margins entire, apex obtuse;

petals very showy, recurved to erect-spreading, white, veins not engraved on adaxial surface, ovate-elliptic to oblong, 1.5–3.5+ × 0.8–1.5 cm, thin- to firm-textured, margins entire to slightly wavy, apex obtuse-acuminate;

stamens straight, 5–18 mm;

filaments white, slightly shorter than anthers, slender;

anthers straight, pale yellow, 2.5–11 mm, thin, dehiscence introrse;

ovary greenish white, ± globular, obtusely 3-angled;

style with tips spreading, elongate, 0.5–1.5 mm, slender;

stigmas prominent, recurved or curled, connate basally, white, linear, threadlike, 4–12+ mm;

pedicel erect in anthesis, rapidly recurving below leaves after pollination, 5–20 cm.

Fruits

red, fragrance of fresh mushrooms, ± globose to pyramidal, 1.5–3 × 1.2–2.8 cm, juicy to pulpy.

greenish white, odorless, globose-ovate, 0.6–1 × 0.5–0.8 cm, pulpy, not juicy.

2n

= 10.

= 10.

Trillium sulcatum

Trillium nivale

Phenology Flowering mid spring (Apr–May). Flowering spring (early Mar–early Apr).
Habitat Rich mesic woodlands, especially moist north- or east-facing slopes, wooded ledges and stream banks on neutral to slightly acid soil Forested, limestone-derived soils, alkaline glacial drift or loess, creeping soils at head of ledges, talus of cliff bases, crevices in limestone cliffs, gravelly deposits on higher floodplain riverbanks
Elevation 300–400 m (1000–1300 ft) 100–300 m (300–1000 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; GA; KY; NC; TN; VA; WV
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
IA; IL; IN; KY; MD; MI; MN; MO; NE; OH; PA; SD; WI; WV
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Trillium sulcatum is present mainly on the Cumberland Plateau and is absent from the Great Smoky Mountains and the southern Blue Ridge Mountains.

T. S. Patrick (1984) described Trillium sulcatum flowers as “relatively small and turned downward.” This is true of plants from the type locality; however, in most plants of the Cumberland Plateau, the flowers are quite large and flattened, and the petals are recurved distally and face outward.

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

Trillium nivale occurs primarily at the southern edge of Pleistocene glaciation and shuns humus, leaf deposits, and much plant competition.

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

Source FNA vol. 26, p. 104. FNA vol. 26, p. 100.
Parent taxa Liliaceae > Trillium > subg. Trillium 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. stamineum, 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. 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 T. S. Patrick: Brittonia 36: 27, figs. 1–4. (1984) Riddell: Syn. Fl. West. States, 93. (1835)
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