Common Names
Common Names in English:
Sabine River Wakerobin
Description
Genus Trillium
Herbs, perennial
, scapose
, rhizomatous
; rhizomes subterranean
, horizontal or semierect, monopodial, unbranched or weakly branched, elongated to thick and fleshy
, compressed-shortened, distal end tapered to point
or praemorse
, apex bearing large terminal
bud, numerous
cataphylls, and contractile, adventitious, ringed roots
. Scapes arising from terminal bud or axil of adjacent
cataphylls, aerial
(subterranean in T. petiolatum), erect
, straight (decumbent
, S-shaped in T. decumbens and T. reliquum). Bracts on mature
plants
in whorl of 3, uniformly green or mottled
, foliaceous
, petiolate
or sessile, venation
palmate-reticulate, with 3-5 major veins, ovate
or obovate
to elliptical
. Inflorescences terminal, 1-flowered. Flowers: some totally to partially syncarpous
, pedicellate
or sessile; sepals persistent
, 3, distinct
, green, maroon, or with maroon markings, foliaceous, oblong
, ovate, or lanceolate, alternating with bracts; petals shriveling after anthesis
, typically 3, erect, spreading
, or recurved, distinct, red, purple, pink, white, yellow, green, or combination
of these, ovate or obovate to linear
, sometimes clawed; stamens 6, alternating in 2 whorls of 3, erect, incurved
, or divergent; filaments
mostly short, basally expanded; anthers
2-locular, ± equaling or longer
than filaments, dehiscence extrorse
, latrorse
, or introrse
; connectives
flat between (or in some species extending beyond) anther sacs
; ovary superior, proximal
portion 3-locular, 3- or 6-lobed, some axile
, some parietal
or a combination of both, distal portion forming stigmas; stigmas often persistent, 3, spreading, twisted, or erect, sometimes connate
, sessile or with very short style
, linear to subulate
. Fruits capsular
or baccate
, fleshy with obscure
sutures
, not or rarely dehiscent
along sutures, each shed as unit
through abscission of thin-walled cells
at base
. Seeds many, elliptic
, 2-4 mm, bearing white or yellowish, large, oily, myrmecochorous elaiosome (aril). x
= 5. 2n = 10 in all American species recorded.
Species 43: North America, Asia.
Trillium is traditionally divided
into two subgenera
, which overlap in some characters. Botanists consider subg. Trillium to be the more primitive group, because the genera considered closest to Trillium all have pedicellate flowers, as does subg. Trillium, except for one variety of T. pusillum that bears sessile to only barely pedicillate flowers.
There is not yet agreement among taxonomists about the relationships
among the species within the genus. Certain ones, such as Trillium recurvatum and T. lancifolium, clearly are closely related, but the interrelationships of many others are not obvious. In the absence of definitive studies, the species are listed here alphabetically within subgenera. Several species of Trillium contain sapogenins
that have been used medicinally as astringents, coagulants
, expectorants
, and uterine stimulants, hence the common names
birthwort and Indian balm, and T. erectum, T. grandiflorum, and possibly other species have been utilized commercially as beth root (W. B
. Zomlefer 1996). Fruits, seeds, and rhizomes of trilliums are generally considered to be poisonous. Deer, however, feed
voraciously on T. grandiflorum plants, especially in early spring
. Gardeners and wildflower enthusiasts, over most of the temperate
zones of the world, consider trilliums to be among the most beautiful of wildflowers. Species of Trillium exhibit few and obscure structural differences, making key
construction difficult (J. D. Freeman 1975).Frederick W. Case Jr. "Trillium". in Flora of North America Vol. 26 Page 51, 54, 56, 90, 91, 97, 101, 110, 113, 150. Oxford University Press. Online at EFloras.org.
Physical Description
Habit: Forb/herb
Biology
Reproduction
Duration: Perennial
Taxonomy
- Kingdom:
Plantae
(
)
- Plants
- Phylum:
Magnoliophyta
()
- Flowering Plants
- Class:
Liliopsida
()
- Order:
Liliales
()
- Family:
Lasiocampoidea
()
- Subfamily:
Rhododendroideae
()
- Tribe:
Rhododendreae
()
- Genus:
Trillium
()
- Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 1: 339. 1753; Gen. Pl. ed. 5, 158. 1754.
- Trille [Latin, trilix, triple, alluding to the flowers having parts in threes]
- Specific epithet:
gracile
- J.D.Freeman
- Botanical name: - Trillium gracile J.D.Freeman
- Specific epithet:
gracile
- J.D.Freeman
- Genus:
Trillium
(
- Tribe:
Rhododendreae
(
- Subfamily:
Rhododendroideae
(
- Family:
Lasiocampoidea
(
- Order:
Liliales
(
- Class:
Liliopsida
(
- Phylum:
Magnoliophyta
(
Notes
Name
Status: Accepted Name
.
Publishing author
: J.D.Freeman Publication
: Sida 3: 289 1969A tentatively accepted name in the RHS Horticultural Database.
Similar Species
Members of the genus Trillium
There are approximately 243 species in this genus. Here are just 100 of them:
T. komarovii · T. miyabeanum · T. 'Hokkaido' · T. acuminatum · T. aff. chloropetalum · T. affine · T. albidum (Giant Trillium) · T. album · T. amabile · T. angustifolium · T. angustipetalum (Narrowpetal Wakerobin) · T. apetalon · T. atropurpureum · T. brevipes · T. californicum · T. camschatcense · T. camschatcense 'Tsuzuki' · T. camschatcense f. polyphyllum · T. camschatcense var. soyanum · T. camschatcense var. tschonoskii · T. camtschaticum · T. catesbaei (Bashful Wakerobin) · T. catesbyi · T. catesbyi f. album · T. cernum · T. cernuum (Nodding Trillium) · T. cernuum f. lalondei · T. cernuum f. marginatum · T. cernuum f. tangerae · T. cernuum f. viride · T. cernuum f. walpolei · T. cernuum L. var. macranthum Eames & Wiegand · T. cernuum var. declinatum · T. cernuum var. typicum · T. chandleri · T. chandleri f. foliaceum · T. chandleri f. gladewitzii · T. chandleri f. palaceum · T. chandleri f. plenum · T. channellii · T. chloropetalum (Giant Wakerobin) · T. chloropetalum 'Ice Creme' · T. chloropetalum 'Volcano' · T. chloropetalum (Torr.) Howell var. chloropetalum (Torr.) T.J.Howell (Giant Wakerobin) · T. chloropetalum giganteum (Giant Wakerobin) · T. chloropetalum var. chloropetalum · T. chloropetalum var. chloropetalum × parviflorum · T. chloropetalum var. giganteum · T. chloropetalum white-flowered · T. crassifolium · T. cuneatum (Little Sweet Betsy) · T. cuneatum red-flowered · T. cuneatum × luteum · T. decipiens (Chattahoochee River Wakerobin) · T. declinatum f. walpolei · T. decumbens (Trailing Trillium) · T. discolor (Mottled Wakerobin) · T. erectum (Red Erect Trillium) · T. erectum 'Beige' · T. erectum f. albiflorum (White Erect Trillium) · T. erectum f. cahnae · T. erectum f. luteum · T. erectum f. nigrescens · T. erectum f. pallidandrum · T. erectum f. parviflorum · T. erectum f. parvum · T. erectum f. polymerum · T. erectum f. sessiloides · T. erectum f. viridiflorum · T. erectum L. 'Rubrum' · T. erectum L. forma sessile L.' · T. erectum L. var. erectum · T. erectum purple-flowered · T. erectum red-flowered · T. erectum var. album · T. erectum var. japonicum · T. erectum × flexipes · T. erythrocarpum · T. erythrocarpum var. cleavelandicum · T. flavum · T. flexipes (Bent Trillium) · T. flexipes erect · T. flexipes f. walpolei · T. foetidissimum (Mississippi River Wakerobin) · T. foetidissimum f. luteum · T. foetidum · T. giganteum var. chloropetalum · T. gleasonii f. billingtonii · T. gleasonii f. walpolei · T. govanianum · T. gracile (Sabine River Wakerobin) · T. grandiflorum (Great White Trillium) · T. grandiflorum 'Flore Pleno' (Trillium) · T. grandiflorum 'Jenny Rhodes' · T. grandiflorum 'Kath's Dwarf' · T. grandiflorum 'Quicksilver' · T. grandiflorum 'Snowbunting' · T. grandiflorum dwarf · T. grandiflorum f. chandleri · T. grandiflorum f. roseum
Bibliography
- Berg, R. Y. 1958. Seed dispersal, morphology, and phylogeny of Trillium. Skr. Norske Vidensk.-Akad. Oslo, Mat.-Natkurvidensk. Kl. 1958(1): 1-36.
- Case, F. W. and G. L. Burrows. 1962. The genus Trillium in Michigan: Some problems of distribution and taxonomy. Pap. Michigan Acad. Sci. 47: 180-200.
- Case, F. W. and R. B. Case. 1997. Trilliums. Portland. Gates, R. R. 1917b. A systematic study of the North American genus Trillium, its variability and its relation to Paris and Medeola. Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. 4: 43-92.
- Kato, H. et al. 1995. Evolutionary biology of Trillium and related genera (Trilliaceae). 1. Restriction site mapping and variation of chloroplast DNA and its systematic implications. Pl. Spec. Biol. 10: 7-30.
- Kazempour Osaloo, S., F. H. Utech, M. Ohara, and S. Kawano. 1999. Molecular systematics of Trilliaceae I. Phylogenetic analyses of Trillium using matK gene sequences. J. Pl. Res. 112: 35-49.
- Samejima, K. and J. Samejima. 1987. Trillium Genus Illustrated. Sapporo.
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Notes
Contributors
- Bisby FA, Roskov YR, Orrell TM, Nicolson D, Paglinawan LE, Bailly N, Kirk PM, Bourgoin T, van Hertum J, eds (2008). Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2008 Annual Checklist Taxonomic Classification. CD-ROM; Species 2000: Reading, U.K.
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessed December 01, 2007. http://www.gbif.org Mediated distribution data from provider.
- World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
Data Sources
Accessed through GBIF Data Portal December 01, 2007:
- USDA PLANTS, USDA PLANTS Database
Identifiers
- Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 7172470
- Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: Kew-290666
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 13754816
- Globally Unique Identifier: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:542552-1
- Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) Taxonomic Serial Number (TSN): 43073
- International Plant Names Index (IPNI) ID: 542552-1
- U.S.D.A. Plant Symbol: TRGR6
- Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 66856
