Trillium erectum

Trillium erectum

Secure  (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Liliales
Family: Melanthiaceae
Genus: Trillium
Species: T. erectum
Binomial name
Trillium erectum
L.
Synonyms[2]

Trillium erectum, also known as red trillium,[3] wake-robin, purple trillium,[4] Beth root, or stinking Benjamin,[5] is a species of flowering plant.

The plant takes its common name "wake-robin" by analogy with the European robin, which has a red breast heralding spring.

Distribution

It is native to eastern Canada and the Eastern United States.

It is a spring ephemeral, an herbaceous perennial whose life-cycle is synchronised with that of the deciduous forests where it lives.

Composite image showing both red and white color morphs of the flower of Trillium erectum. Note that both morphs have a dark purple gynoecium with contrasting anthers

Description

Trillium erectum grows to about 40 cm (16 in) in height with a spread of 30 cm (12 in), and can tolerate extreme cold in winter, surviving temperatures down to −35 °C (−31 °F).

The leaves contain calcium oxalate crystals and crystal raphide, and should not be consumed by humans.

Like all trilliums, its parts are in groups of three, with 3-petalled flowers above whorls of pointed triple leaves.[6] The flowers are a deep red colour, though there is a white form. The flowers have the smell of rotting meat, as they are pollinated by flies.

Varieties

Named varieties include: [2]

Cultivation

Trillium erectum is cultivated as a flowering ornamental plant. It has received the Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society.[7]

References

  1. ↑ "Trillium erectum". NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe. Retrieved 2008-05-02.
  2. 1 2 Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
  3. ↑ "Trillium erectum". Natural Resources Conservation Service PLANTS Database. USDA. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
  4. ↑ Dickinson, T.; Metsger, D.; Bull, J.; & Dickinson, R. (2004) ROM Field Guide to Wildflowers of Ontario. Toronto:Royal Ontario Museum, p. 79.
  5. ↑ Stinking Benjamin: A trillium that by any other name would smell so sweet, adirondack almanack
  6. ↑ RHS A-Z encyclopedia of garden plants. United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. 2008. p. 1136. ISBN 1405332964.
  7. ↑ "RHS Plant Selector - Trillium erectum". Retrieved 7 June 2013.
Trillium erectum.
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