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sweet beth, sweet trillium, sweet wakerobin, Vasey's trillium

confederate wakerobin, relict trillium

Rhizomes

short, stout, praemorse.

short, stout, praemorse.

Scapes

1–2 per rhizome terminus, round in cross section, 3–6.5 dm, ± slender to stout, glabrous.

1–2, semidecumbent, decumbent, or weakly erect (especially in cultivation), S-shaped, round in cross section, 0.6–1.8 dm, glabrous.

Bracts

sessile to subsessile;

blade rhombic, 10–20 × 6–20 cm, often wider than long, not glossy, base attenuate, apex acuminate.

resting on or near ground surface, horizontally spreading, sessile;

blade strongly mottled on each side of central light green stripe in shades of light green, dark green, bronze green, and dark purple, mottling becoming obscure with age, ovate to elliptic, rounded-tapered ± equally from base to tip from widest point, 5–12 × 6–10 cm, apex rounded or weakly acute.

Flower

carried beneath bracts, odor faintly sweet;

sepals spreading, pale green, lanceolate-acuminate, 25–50 × 6–18 mm, margins involute, apex acuminate;

petals spreading to recurved distally, adaxially crimson, maroon-red, or brownish red, abaxially paler, grayish pink or rose, veins engraved, ovate-suborbicular, 3–6.5 × 4–6 cm, somewhat fleshy, base rounded and overlapping, margins entire, apex acute;

stamens conspicuous, ± erect to weakly recurved, 15–25 mm, longer than pistil at anthesis;

filaments grayish purple to blackish purple, longer than anthers, 5–12 mm, slender;

anthers weakly recurving, grayish purple to maroon, slender, dehiscence introrse;

connectives purple, barely equaling anther sacs;

ovary small, maroon or dark reddish purple, ± globose to conical-pyramidal, 6-ridged, 3–12 mm, basal attachment less than ovary width;

stigmas erect, recurved, distinct, gray-purple, not lobed adaxially, basally widened, ± linear distally, 2.5–6.5 mm, fleshy;

pedicel horizontal to declined-drooping, ± straight, 2–13 cm.

borne directly on bracts, odor of putrid meat;

sepals divergent, somewhat recurved, green, maroon streaked, lanceolate, 17–42 × 5–9.5 mm, margins entire, flat, apex rounded-acute;

petals long-lasting, erect, ± connivent, ± concealing stamens and ovary, dark brownish maroon, greenish purple, or streaked with yellow, usually not spirally twisted, narrowly elliptic-lanceolate to oblanceolate, 2.5–5.5 × 0.6–1 cm, thick-textured, margins entire, ± flat, apex acute;

stamens erect, incurved, 12–20 mm;

filaments ± straight, reddish brown, 1–2 mm, slender;

anthers ± straight, dark purple, 4–20 mm, ± thick, dehiscence introrse;

connectives brown-purple, extending 1–2.5 mm beyond anther sacs, apex acute;

ovary green-purple, ovoid, 6-angled, 5–10 mm;

stigmas erect, divergent-recurved, distinct, linear, 2–4 mm, uniformly thin.

Fruits

dark reddish maroon, ovoid, obtusely angled, relatively small, 1–1.4 × 1–2 cm, pulpy.

baccate, dark maroon-purple, fragrance unreported, ovoid, 6-winged or -angled apically, 0.7–1 cm, pulpy, moist.

2n

= 10.

Trillium vaseyi

Trillium reliquum

Phenology Flowering mid–late spring (late Apr–early Jun). Flowering late winter–spring (early Mar–Apr).
Habitat Rich woods, often on steep slopes, ravines, stream banks, and deep, wind-sheltered, moist coves Rich mixed deciduous forested slopes, bluffs, stream-flats, lower slopes at edge of small stream floodplains
Elevation 300–700 m (1000–2300 ft) 50–100 m (200–300 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; GA; NC; SC; TN
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
GA; SC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Although sometimes submerged within Trillium erectum, T. vaseyi has a later blooming season, a nodding flower of much larger size, a sweet fragrance, and cove habitat unlike that of T. erectum. In my garden hybridization experiments, T. vaseyi hybrids have different color patterns than T. erectum hybrids. Trillium vaseyi is clearly a distinct species. It frequently hybridizes with T. rugelii.

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

Of conservation concern.

Trillium reliquum recently has been reported from Alabama; I have not seen specimens from there. Otherwise, the species occurs in Clay, Early, and Richmond counties, Georgia, and in Aiken County, South Carolina. It is currently listed as an endangered species in the United States.

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

Source FNA vol. 26, p. 105. FNA vol. 26, p. 115.
Parent taxa Liliaceae > Trillium > subg. Trillium 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. 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. sulcatum, T. underwoodii, T. undulatum, 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. rivale, T. rugelii, T. sessile, T. simile, T. stamineum, T. sulcatum, T. underwoodii, T. undulatum, T. vaseyi, T. viride, T. viridescens
Synonyms T. erectum var. vaseyi
Name authority Harbison: Biltmore Bot. Stud. 1: 24. (1901) J. D. Freeman: Brittonia 27: 21, fig. 5. (1975)
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