Trillium luteum (Muhlenberg) Harbison
Table of Contents
Beth root, Birth root, Wake robin, Yellow Trillium, Yellow Toadshade, Wax Trillium
Class Liliopsida
Order Liliales
Family Liliaeae
Subfamily Liliodeae
Tribe Lilieae
Genus Trillium
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Description of species Holotype/Paratype: (information not found) Identification Key: (See References) Type: Perennial herb Growth form: the stout stem grows from a bulb or a rhizome Flower: usually regular, hypogynous; stem is erect and smooth with a height of 8-18 inches tall; has 3 erect lemon-yellow petals from 2-3 inches in length and 3 yellow-green sepals which spread horizontally; has 6 stamens, 1 pistil with 3 separate stigmas or a three-lobed stigma; ovary ovoid to spherical and is 6-angled; it is sessile, meaning it does not have a stalk; the flowers are lemon-scented Leaves: sessile and simple, a whorl of 3 ovate leaves on top of a single stem, parallel veined, are strongly mottled, elliptic to ovate Fruits: generally a loculicidal capsule or three-chambered pods or berries Return to Table of Contents
Geography Yellow Trillium grows in rich moist woods and ravines, blooming in April or May. It is found in extreme western North Carolina and norhtern Georgia, west and northwestward through eastern Tennessee and a small area of east-central southern Kentucky. Return to Table of Contents
Natural History Ecological Requirements Light prefernce: partial shade or shade Soil Moisture: moist Fertility: good rich soil pH: neutral is ideal Hardiness: zones 4-7 Season: mid-Spring (April or May) Life Cycle 1. Germination of seeds requires "double dormancy," which is the exposure of the seed to a period of mild temperatures followed
by cold and then a warming which breaks the dormancy of the seedling and causes the radicle to emerge from the seed and form
a rhizome. Then after a cool period and storage of the seed at higher temperatures, the cotyledon emerges. 2. After the seed has germinated, the plant will produce only one shoot per season in its immature state. The one-leaf stage
continues to appear for 2-4 or more years. The plant and leaf will increase in size and surface area each year under good growing
conditions. When a certain critical size and rhizome volume have been reached, the non-flowering seedling produces 3 leaves and
continues to accrue stored food energy. A season or two later it will begin flowering Return to Table of Contents
How to Encounter How: 1. Observe the size of the petals but keep in mind that they will continue to lengthen during the
period of bloom. 2. Notice whether the flowers and leaves have stalks or not. 3. The plant will be yellow in color and will be lemon-scented. When: In April or May Where: In deciduous forests, thin open woods, rocky streambanks and flats, rarely clearings
and openings, and old fields Return to Table of Contents
References Case, Jr., Frederick W. and Roberta B. Case. 1997. Trilliums. Timber Press Inc. Portland, Oregon. (This reference contains an identification key.) Coffman, John Edwin and Teresa A. Sullivan. "United States." The World Book Encyclopedia. Vol.20, p.66-67. Chicago: World Book Inc., 1986. Coleman, Kenneth, J. Minter Jr., and M. Prutny Jr. "Georgia." The World Book Encyclopedia. Vol.8, p.125. Chicago: World Book Inc., 1986. Cunningham, James A. and John E. Klimas. 1974. Wildflowers of Eastern America. Alfred A. Knopf: New York. Grimm, William Carey. 1993. The Illustrated Book of Wildflowers and Shrubs. Stackpole Books: Pennsylvania. Kubitzi, K., H. Hoover, P.J. Rudall, P. S. Stevens, and T. Stuzel. 1998. The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants. Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg:
New York. Niering, William A. and Nancy C. Olmstead. 1979. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North America. Alfred A. Knopf: New York. Radford, Albert E., H. E. Ahles, and E. R. Bell. 1968. Manual of the Vascular Flora of the Carolinas. The University of North Carolina Press: Chapel Hill. (This reference contains an identification key.) Rickett, Harold William. 1966. Wild Flowers of the United States. McGraw-Hill Book Company: New York. Wofford, B. Eugene. 1989. Guide to the Vascular Plants of the Blue Ridge. The University of Georgia Press: Athens, GA.