African Garden + woodland wildflowers

Wildflower Wednesday: a Trillium Mystery
April 30, 2010

While I'm waiting impatiently for the native wildflowers in my woodland garden to start poking up through the soil, I've been indulging myself in the photo archives. I was reminded that I finally realized that this Trillium, which was purchased under the name Trillium grandiflorum, is clearly not.

The first difference lies inside the bloom. T. grandiflorum looks like this.

Note the greenish white ovary. My mystery Trillium, by contrast, has red on the ovary.

The texture of the petals and their arrangement are also different, and my mystery Trillium is much taller and the flower doesn't age to pink. The plant it mostly closely resembles is the white trillium, Trillium flexipes. However, that species has a white ovary. In addition, this flower does not nod.

As with all Trilliums, it is a denizen of the woodland and happily associates with other native and non-native shade garden plants.

The lone mystery Trillium blooms with the native Dodecatheon media and Phlox divaricata and the non-native Brunnera and Dicentra. The native Maianthemum (Smilacina) racemosa is in bud in the middle of May.

I purchased three Triliums together; one died, and one is the mystery plant. If anyone can positively identify this Trillium I'd be very grateful.

As always, Wildflower Wednesday hosted by Gail. Visit her at Clay and Limestone to discover more wildflowers.