Trillium cernuum

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Trillium cernuum
Nodding trillium flower -SC woodlot- 3.JPG
With flower in Ontario (10 June)
Status TNC G5.svg
Secure  (NatureServe) [1]
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Liliales
Family: Melanthiaceae
Genus: Trillium
Species:
T. cernuum
Binomial name
Trillium cernuum
L.
Synonyms [2]
Trillium cernuum
    • Trillium cernuum f. billingtoniiFarw.
    • Trillium cernuum var. declinatumFarw.
    • Trillium cernuum f. lalondeiCay. & J.Cay.
    • Trillium cernuum var. macranthumEames & Wiegand
    • Trillium cernuum f. marginatumCay. & J.Cay.
    • Trillium cernuum f. tangeraeWherry
    • Trillium cernuum var. terrae-novaeB.Boivin
    • Trillium cernuum var. typicumWherry
    • Trillium cernuum f. virideCay. & J.Cay.
    • Trillium cernuum f. walpoleiFarw.
    • Trillium glaucumRaf.
    • Trillium hamosumRaf.
    • Trillium latifoliumRaf.
    • Trillium mediumRaf.

Trillium cernuum is a species of flowering plant in the bunchflower family Melanthiaceae. The specific epithet cernuum means "drooping, curving forwards, facing downwards", [3] a distinctive habit of its flower. It is commonly called nodding trillium or nodding wakerobin (not to be confused with Trillium flexipes ) since the flower is invariably found nodding beneath the leaves. [4] [5] It is sometimes referred to as the northern nodding trillium to distinguish from Trillium rugelii , a similar nodding species native to the southern Appalachian Mountains. [6] It is also called the whip-poor-will flower since presumably its bloom coincides with the spring arrival of the migrating bird with the same name. [7]

Contents

Trillium cernuum was thought to be one of three species of Trillium described by Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus in 1753 (the other two being Trillium erectum and Trillium sessile ). The specimen examined by Linnaeus was actually Trillium catesbaei , a nodding species native to the southern Appalachian Mountains where Trillium cernuum does not occur. This oversight led to much confusion, some of which continues to this day. Within its natural range, Trillium cernuum is often confused with two closely related Trillium species, Trillium erectum and Trillium flexipes. The three species are known to interbreed with one another, which adds to the confusion.

The nodding trillium is the most northerly Trillium species in North America, occurring as far north as Hudson Bay and as far south as northern Virginia (reports south of Virginia are most likely other species such as Trillium rugelii, Trillium catesbaei, or Trillium flexipes). Trillium cernuum is found on rich, moist soils in both broadleaf and coniferous woodlands.

Description

Trillium cernuum is a perennial herbaceous plant that spreads by means of an underground rhizome. Up to three scapes (stems) rise directly from the rhizome, each standing 15–40 cm (6–16 in) tall. At the apex of the scape is a whorl of three leaf-like bracts, each 5–15 cm (2.0–5.9 in) long and 6–15 cm (2.4–5.9 in) wide. [4]

Flowering occurs from late April to early June, possibly as late as July in the northern part of its range. [8] A solitary flower hangs below the bracts (leaves) on a short recurved pedicel 1.5–3 cm (0.6–1.2 in) long. The flower has three slender pale green sepals, each 9–30 mm (0.4–1.2 in) long, and three strongly recurved white (rarely pink) petals, each 15–25 mm (0.6–1.0 in) long and 5–15 mm (0.2–0.6 in) wide. The flower is bisexual with six stamens and a single white (or pink) ovary shaped like a pyramid. Each stamen consists of a thin white filament and a pale lavender-pink (or gray) anther. The filaments and anthers are about the same length. [5] [9]

If the flower is successfully pollinated, a single fruit develops. Initially the fruit is white (or pink), ripening to a dark red by late summer. When ripe, the fruit is a plump six-lobed berry up to 3 cm (1.2 in) in diameter. [4]

Historically, Trillium cernuum has been confused with several nodding Trillium species native to the southern Appalachian Mountains. (See the Taxonomy section for more background information.) Within its natural range, T. cernuum is often confused with two sympatric Trillium species, T. erectum and T. flexipes. The following table compares these three species character by character while emphasizing the important characteristics of T. cernuum:

T. erectum (red trillium) [10] T. cernuum (nodding trillium) [4] T. flexipes (drooping trillium) [11]
StemOne or more per rhizome, clumps common; 1.5–6 dm (5.9–23.6 in) long1–2(–3) per rhizome, each 1.5–4 dm (5.9–15.7 in) longOne or more per rhizome, each 2–5 dm (7.9–19.7 in) long
LeavesSessile, rhombic to ovate-rhombic; 5–20 cm (2.0–7.9 in) long and wide, widest near the middleSessile or subsessile with narrow leaf bases; 5–15 cm (2.0–5.9 in) long and 6–15 cm (2.4–5.9 in) wideSessile, rhombic; 15–25 mm (0.6–1.0 in) long and wide, often wider than long
PedicelVarious habits but not recurved below the leaves; 1–10 cm (0.4–3.9 in) longShort and strongly recurved below the leaves; 1.5–3 cm (0.6–1.2 in) longVarious habits but rarely recurved below the leaves; 4–12 cm (1.6–4.7 in) long
FlowerUsually faces downward; smells like a wet dogNodding below the leavesErect forms face outward
SepalsGreen, often streaked with maroon; 10–50 mm (0.4–2.0 in) longGreen; 9–30 mm (0.4–1.2 in) longGreen, weakly recurved; 14–45 mm (0.6–1.8 in) long
PetalsDark reddish brown, maroon, purple, or white; heavily textured; 15–50 mm (0.6–2.0 in) long and 10–30 mm (0.4–1.2 in) wideWhite (rarely pink), strongly recurved; thin textured; 15–25 mm (0.6–1.0 in) long and 9–15 mm (0.4–0.6 in) wideCreamy white, dark reddish brown, or maroon; heavily textured; 20–50 mm (0.8–2.0 in) long and 10–40 mm (0.4–1.6 in) wide
StamensAnthers dark maroon, gray-maroon, or yellow with pollen; filaments as long as (or longer) than the anthersAnthers pale lavender-pink or gray; filaments and anthers approximately equal in lengthAnthers thick, creamy white or yellow; anthers at least twice as long as the filaments
OvaryDark purple or maroon; ovoid to spherical; strongly ridgedWhite or pink flushed; flask-shaped; ridgedWhite or pink flushed; flask-shaped; strongly ridged
Fruit(same as ovary)White or pink initially, but ripens to dark red; ridges become angles as the fruit expandsWhite or pink initially, but ripens to rosy red or purplish; strongly angled

Identification typically requires a mature, flowering plant. When not in flower, the three species are difficult to distinguish. Moreover, the three species are known to interbreed with one another, which can add to the confusion.

To distinguish among T. cernuum, T. erectum, and T. flexipes, start by examining the pedicel. If the pedicel is longer than 3 cm (1.2 in), it is notT. cernuum. More importantly, the pedicel of T. cernuum is strongly recurved below the leaves while the other two species rarely exhibit this behavior.

Northern forms of T. flexipes tend to have recurved pedicels and/or recurved petals. These forms closely resemble large plants of T. cernuum and so the two are often confused. In such cases, examine the stamens. The anthers of T. cernuum are slender, lavender-pink or purplish, with the anthers and filaments approximately equal in length, while the anthers of T. flexipes are thick, creamy white or yellow, with the anthers greatly exceeding the length of the usually very short filaments. [12]

Taxonomy

Trillium cernuum was first thought to be described by Carl Linnaeus in 1753. [13] Linnaeus gave the location of his type specimen as "Carolina" but T. cernuum (in the modern sense) does not range that far south. The resulting confusion surrounding the pedicellate-flowered Trillium species persisted for 150 years. In 1906, Gleason shed some light on the confusion by showing how to distinguish T. cernuum from T. flexipes on the basis of anther-filament ratio. However, Gleason mistakenly believed that the range of T. cernuum extended south to Georgia. [14] Finally, in 1938, Barksdale showed conclusively that the specimen described by Linnaeus was actually T. catesbaei and that T. cernuum is absent from the southern Appalachian Mountains. [15]

As of September 2021, Plants of the World Online (POWO) lists 14  synonyms for T. cernuum. [2] Although POWO accepts no infraspecific names, numerous varieties and forms have been described. For example, Eames and Wiegand described T. cernuum var. macranthum in 1923. [16] The typical variety, found along the North American coast from Delaware to Newfoundland, is described as a small delicate plant, while variety macranthum, found elsewhere, is claimed to be larger and more robust. Although there may be regional size trends, much of the variation in size is largely dependent upon soil nutrients, and so the variety is not generally accepted by botanists. [4] [17]

Edgar T. Wherry (1885-1982) described Trillium cernuum f. tangerae in 1945. [18] With deep rose-colored petals, the form is thought to be a hybrid with T. erectum. [19]

Distribution and habitat

The range of Trillium cernuum extends across Canada, from Saskatchewan in the west to Newfoundland in the east, and as far south as northern Virginia in the mid-Atlantic United States. The species is known to occur in the following provinces, states, and territories: [2] [4] [20]

At the southern end of its range, T. cernuum grows in rich, cool, moist to swampy deciduous woods, and along shrubby stream banks and pond edges of deep forests. In Michigan, it also occurs along streams and swamps, but in conifer-hardwood forests. In its northern range, it occurs in dryer (although still moist), upland deciduous-coniferous woods. [1]

As of October 2019, T. cernuum is globally secure. [1] It is vulnerable (or worse) in at least a dozen states and provinces. In particular, it is critically imperiled in Illinois, Indiana, and West Virginia. [22] [23] [24] In Lake County, Ohio, a single specimen was collected in 1879, but T. cernuum is now thought to be extirpated from Ohio. [25]

Bibliography

Related Research Articles

<i>Trillium</i> Genus of flowering plants

Trillium is a genus of about fifty flowering plant species in the family Melanthiaceae. Trillium species are native to temperate regions of North America and Asia, with the greatest diversity of species found in the southern Appalachian Mountains in the southeastern United States.

<i>Trillium chloropetalum</i> Species of flowering plant

Trillium chloropetalum, also known as giant trillium, giant wakerobin, or common trillium, is a species of flowering plant in the family Melanthiaceae. It is endemic to the western U.S. state of California, being especially frequent in and around the San Francisco Bay Area.

<i>Trillium erectum</i> Species of flowering plant

Trillium erectum, the red trillium, also known as wake robin, purple trillium, bethroot, or stinking benjamin, is a species of flowering plant in the family Melanthiaceae. The plant takes its common name "wake robin" by analogy with the European robin, which has a red breast heralding spring. Likewise Trillium erectum is a spring ephemeral plant whose life-cycle is synchronized with that of the forests in which it lives. It is native to the eastern United States and eastern Canada from northern Georgia to Quebec and New Brunswick.

<i>Trillium grandiflorum</i> Species of flowering plant

Trillium grandiflorum, the white trillium, large-flowered trillium, great white trillium, white wake-robin or French: trille blanc, is a species of flowering plant in the family Melanthiaceae. A monocotyledonous, herbaceous perennial, the plant is native to eastern North America, from northern Quebec to the southern parts of the United States through the Appalachian Mountains into northernmost Georgia and west to Minnesota. There are also several isolated populations in Nova Scotia, Maine, southern Illinois, and Iowa.

Wake-robin, wakerobin, or wake robin are used in the common names of several species of flowering plants, including:

<i>Pseudotrillium</i> Genus of flowering plants

Pseudotrillium is a monotypic genus of flowering plant in the family Melanthiaceae. Its sole species, Pseudotrillium rivale, is commonly known as the brook wakerobin. It is endemic to the Siskiyou Mountains of southern Oregon and northern California. The Latin specific epithet rivale means “growing by streams”, with reference to a preferred habitat.

<i>Trillium ovatum</i> Species of flowering plant

Trillium ovatum, the Pacific trillium, also known as the western wakerobin, western white trillium, or western trillium, is a species of flowering plant in the family Melanthiaceae. It is found in western North America, from southern British Columbia and the tip of southwestern Alberta to central California, east to Idaho and western Montana. There is an isolated population in northern Colorado and southern Wyoming.

<i>Trillium luteum</i> Species of plant

Trillium luteum, the yellow trillium or yellow wakerobin, is a species of flowering plant in the bunchflower family Melanthiaceae. It is a member of the Trillium cuneatum complex, a closely related group of sessile-flowered trilliums. The species is endemic to the southeastern United States, especially in and around the Great Smoky Mountains of eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina.

<i>Trillium rugelii</i> Species of flowering plant

Trillium rugelii, also known as the southern nodding trillium or illscented wakerobin, is a species of flowering plant in the family Melanthiaceae. It is native to parts of the southeastern United States. It is found in the Great Smoky Mountains, Fernbank Forest, Steven's Creek Heritage Preserve, and other places of the Piedmont and southern Appalachian Mountains in Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Tennessee. It prefers to grow near streams in humus-rich soil under the shade of deciduous trees.

<i>Trillium flexipes</i> Species of flowering plant

Trillium flexipes, known as the nodding wakerobin, bent trillium, or drooping trillium, is a species of flowering plant in the family Melanthiaceae. It is found from Minnesota to Ohio, south to Tennessee, with isolated populations in New York, Pennsylvania, Alabama, and other states. It is an endangered species in Ontario and possibly extirpated in North Carolina.

<i>Trillium undulatum</i> Species of flowering plant

Trillium undulatum, commonly called painted trillium, painted lady, or trille ondulé in French, is a species of flowering plant in the bunchflower family Melanthiaceae. It is also known as smiling wake robin or striped wake-robin. The specific epithet undulatum means "wavy", which refers to the wavy edges of the flower petals. The plant is found from Ontario in the north to northern Georgia in the south and from Michigan in the west to Nova Scotia in the east.

<i>Trillium sessile</i> Species of flowering plant

Trillium sessile is a species of flowering plant in the bunchflower family Melanthiaceae. The specific epithet sessile means "attached without a distinct stalk", an apparent reference to its stalkless flower. It is commonly known as toadshade or toad trillium. It is also called sessile trillium or sessile-flowered wake-robin, however it is not the only member of the genus with a sessile flower.

<i>Allium cernuum</i> Species of flowering plant

Allium cernuum, known as nodding onion or lady's leek, is a perennial plant in the genus Allium. It grows in open areas in North America.

<i>Trillium vaseyi</i> Species of flowering plant

Trillium vaseyi, the sweet wakerobin or sweet beth, is a spring flowering perennial plant which is found only in the southeastern United States, primarily in the southern part of the Appalachian Mountains but with a few populations farther south.

<i>Trillium stamineum</i> Species of flowering plant

Trillium stamineum, the twisted trillium, also known as the Blue Ridge wakerobin, is a species of flowering plant in the family Melanthiaceae. It is native to the southeastern United States, in Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee. Its natural habitat is calcareous woodlands.

<i>Trillium sulcatum</i> Species of flowering plant

Trillium sulcatum is a species of flowering plant in the bunchflower family Melanthiaceae. It is a member of the Erectum group, a group of species typified by Trillium erectum. The specific name sulcatum means "furrowed, grooved, or sulcate", which describes the tips of the sepals. It is most abundant on the Cumberland Plateau in central Tennessee and eastern Kentucky where it blooms in April and May. The species is commonly known as the southern red trillium or furrowed wakerobin.

<i>Trillium pusillum</i> Species of flowering plant

Trillium pusillum is a species of flowering plant in the family Melanthiaceae known by the common names dwarf trillium, least trillium and dwarf wakerobin. It is native to the southeastern and south-central United States from Oklahoma to Maryland.

<i>Trillium recurvatum</i> Species of plant

Trillium recurvatum, the prairie trillium, toadshade, or bloody butcher, is a species of perennial herbaceous flowering plant in the family Melanthiaceae. It is native to parts of central and eastern United States, where it is found from Iowa south to Texas and east to North Carolina and Pennsylvania. It grows in mesic forests and savannas, often in calcareous soils. It is also known as bloody noses, red trillium, prairie wake-robin, purple trillium, and reflexed trillium, in reference to its reflexed sepals.

<i>Trillium texanum</i> Species of flowering plant

Trillium texanum, the Texas trillium or Texas wakerobin, is a species of flowering plant in the family Melanthiaceae. It is found in east Texas, extreme southwestern Arkansas, and extreme northwestern Louisiana. Due to its limited range, it is designated as a vulnerable species.

Trillium hibbersonii is a species of flowering plant in the bunchflower family Melanthiaceae. The specific epithet hibbersonii honors the English Canadian surveyor John Arthur Hibberson (1881–1955) who first collected this plant in 1938 on Vancouver Island in British Columbia. Hibberson and his son propagated the trilliums, selling them to buyers in England and other European countries. In 1968, Leonard Wiley coined the Latin name Trillium hibbersonii, a name that has since been used by horticulturists without reservation.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Trillium cernuum". NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 "Trillium cernuumL.". Plants of the World Online . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  3. ↑ Gledhill, David (2008). The Names of Plants (4th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 100. ISBN   978-0-521-86645-3.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Case Jr., Frederick W. (2002). "Trillium cernuum". In Flora of North America Editorial Committee (ed.). Flora of North America North of Mexico (FNA). Vol. 26. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press. Retrieved September 24, 2007– via eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
  5. 1 2 "Trillium cernuum". Northern Ontario Plant Database. Retrieved September 24, 2007.
  6. ↑ Stritch, Larry. "Northern Nodding Trillium (Trillium cernuum)". United States Forest Service . Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  7. ↑ "Nodding Trillium, Trillium cernuumL.". Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
  8. ↑ Case & Case (1997), p. 90.
  9. ↑ Case & Case (1997), pp. 89–90.
  10. ↑ Case Jr., Frederick W. (2002). "Trillium erectum". In Flora of North America Editorial Committee (ed.). Flora of North America North of Mexico (FNA). Vol. 26. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press. Retrieved September 24, 2007– via eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
  11. ↑ Case Jr., Frederick W. (2002). "Trillium flexipes". In Flora of North America Editorial Committee (ed.). Flora of North America North of Mexico (FNA). Vol. 26. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press. Retrieved September 24, 2007– via eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
  12. ↑ Case & Case (1997), p. 103.
  13. ↑ "Trillium cernuumL.". International Plant Names Index (IPNI). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; Harvard University Herbaria & Libraries; Australian National Botanic Gardens . Retrieved 2021-10-02.
  14. ↑ Gleason, Henry Allan (July 1906). "The pedunculate species of Trillium". Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club. 33 (7): 387–396. doi:10.2307/2478819. hdl: 2027/hvd.32044106472392 . JSTOR   2478819 . Retrieved 24 October 2021.
  15. ↑ Barksdale (1938), pp. 271–273.
  16. ↑ Eames, A.J.; Wiegand, K.M. (November 1923). "Variations in Trillium cernuum". Rhodora. 25 (299): 189–191. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  17. ↑ Case & Case (1997), p. 91.
  18. ↑ "Trillium cernuum f. tangeraeWherry". International Plant Names Index (IPNI). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; Harvard University Herbaria & Libraries; Australian National Botanic Gardens . Retrieved 2021-10-18.
  19. ↑ Case & Case (1997), pp. 91–92.
  20. ↑ "Trillium cernuum". State-level distribution map from the North American Plant Atlas (NAPA). Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2014. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  21. ↑ "Trillium cernuum". County-level distribution map from the North American Plant Atlas (NAPA). Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2014. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  22. ↑ Mankowski, Anne, ed. (February 2011). "Endangered and Threatened Species of Illinois: Status and Distribution" (PDF). Volume 4: 2009 and 2010 Changes to the Illinois List of Endangered and Threatened Species. Illinois Endangered Species Protection Board. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  23. ↑ "Endangered, Threatened, Watch List and Extirpated Plants of Indiana" (PDF). Indiana Department of Natural Resources. 14 May 2021. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
  24. ↑ "Rare Plants tracked by the West Virginia Natural Heritage Program" (PDF). West Virginia Division of Natural Resources. 4 August 2020. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
  25. ↑ "Rare Plants of Ohio". ODNR Division of Natural Areas and Preserves. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
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