Our last blog post, Spring is Blooming in FT Proctor Park, generated some interesting comments about trilliums on our Facebook page. It being spring, and with trilliums currently blooming in forests up and down the East, there are a number of similar conversations across social media this month. This inspired me to look a bit further into what seems to be a favorite spring wildflower, and I discovered that trilliums are more unique than I had realized.
Trillium sessile, Toadshade Photo courtesy of wildflower.org/James Reveal
There are many Trillium species worldwide and 38 native to North America, with the most diversity found in the American southeast. The New York Flora Atlas lists 7 species native to NY and 2 that aren’t native but can be found growing in forests here. The different species are very similar and can be difficult to distinguish from each other. Generally, they are divided into two groups – those that hold their flower aloft on stems above the leaves, and those with a flower that sits on top of the leaves. The fragrance of the flower can range from fruity to, as one of our Facebook followers described, “like wet dog”, which attracts various pollinators such as beetles or bumble bees. Each flower produces one fruit which contains the seeds. As the fruit ripens, it drops to the ground and pops open, spilling the seeds. Each seed carries a fleshy appendage, or elaiosome, that attracts ants. The ants carry the seeds back to their nests and eat the fatty appendages, discarding the seeds to germinate.
This seems normal enough so far! However, the establishment and growth of trillium can take many years. Trillium seeds can take 2 or more years just to germinate. Then they send up one leaf. After another year or more, the three leaves we recognize are grown. In cultivation it can take another 4 years for the plant to produce its first flower, but in the wild this can take up to 20 years. That’s not too long when you consider the lifespan of a trillium plant in favorable conditions can be upwards of 70 years! Trillium also spread slowly underground via rhizome, each rhizome sending up one stem each year. These are the colonies or groups you see growing together on the forest floor like the ones we see in FT Proctor Park.
Trillium grandiflorum, White Trillium Photo courtesy of wildflower.org/Stephanie Brundage
Red and white trillium are among the most common varieties in the northeast, however all trillium species are becoming rare and harder to find. Six species are identified on the list of State Protected Plants in NY as Endangered or Exploitably Vulnerable. In fact, a report published in 2022 found that 32 percent of Trillium species in North America are threatened with extinction. This is due to a number of factors. Trilliums prefer the deep forest floor and don’t thrive as well along forest edges. As our forests have become more fragmented over time, their preferred habitat has shrunk. Deer and feral hogs, along with mice and voles are known predators, and the rise in their populations is also a contributing factor. Human harvesting of trillium in the wild has been a problem, partly due to the difficulty in propagating them for the nursery trade, and is now prohibited in many states.
Our fascination with these spring ephemerals is evidenced by their many interesting nicknames. Red trillium is also known as Stinking Benjamin, Wet Dog Wakerobin, and Birthroot. Trillium discolor is called Mottled Wakerobin, Pale Yellow Trillium, or Small Yellow Toadshade. Others are known by Stinking Trillium, Nodding Wakerobin, Little Sweet Betsy, and Persistent Trillium. Many of these descriptive names seem to be derived from either their smell, their arrival heralding spring along with the Robin, or their medicinal use. Little Sweet Betsy is also sometimes called Bloody Butcher – a combination of the flower color and the smell being similar to dead meat. Toadshade refers to the mottled coloring on the leaves of certain varieties that resembles a toad’s skin.
It turns out our trout lily, Erythronium americanum, another spring ephemeral growing at FT Proctor Park, has some interesting similarities to the trillium. Trout lily seeds also take 2 to 3 years to germinate, and grow only 1 leaf for many years before producing 2 leaves and flowering. Often, large colonies of single-leafed trout lilies only produce one flowering plant. They spread both by slender underground runners and by seed, which are also disbursed by ants. Some colonies growing where there is high leaf litter on the woodland floor seem perfectly happy spreading vegetatively and rarely flowering. While other colonies form clumps and propagate by seed, sending up large numbers of flowers.
Trillium discolor, Mottled Wakerobin Photo courtesy of wildflower.org/Jim Fowler
The wonder of these spring ephemerals is interesting and elusive enough to captivate many of us. Encountering them in the forest is certainly a memorable experience. After learning more about their difficult and lengthy life cycles, I will tread more carefully when entering their habitat.
References:
https://www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/beauty/trilliums/about.shtml
https://chemung.cce.cornell.edu/resources/trilliums
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/25/realestate/trillium-endangered-plants.html
https://couchichingconserv.ca/2013/05/22/trilliums-woodland-beauties/
