Trillium rugelii

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Trillium rugelii
Trillium rugelii kristofz 2022-04-24.jpg
Mountainous form (McDowell County, NC; observed April 24)
Status TNC G4.svg
Apparently 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. rugelii
Binomial name
Trillium rugelii
Synonyms [3] [4]
Heterotypic synonyms
    • Trillium affineRendle
    • Trillium album(Michx.) Small
    • Trillium erectum var. album(Michx.) Pursh
    • Trillium rhomboideum var. albumMichx.

Trillium rugelii is a species of flowering plant in the family Melanthiaceae. It is endemic to the southeastern United States. Its white flower is typically found nodding beneath the leaves, hence it is known as the southern nodding trillium (not to be confused with Trillium cernuum , which also goes by that name). The specific epithet rugelii honors Ferdinand Rugel, a botanist and plant collector who collected plant specimens throughout the southeastern U.S. during the period 18401848. Although the species is apparently secure across its range, statewide it is vulnerable at best.

Contents

Description

Alabama form (St. Clair County, AL; observed April 11) Trillium rugelii finzelflowers 2021-04-11.jpg
Alabama form (St. Clair County, AL; observed April 11)
Note the similarity to Trillium cernuum Trillium rugelii.jpg
Note the similarity to Trillium cernuum
Putative hybrid with Trillium vaseyi (Swain County, NC; observed May 9) Trillium rugelii eraskin 2023-05.jpg
Putative hybrid with Trillium vaseyi (Swain County, NC; observed May 9)
Putative hybrid with Trillium erectum (Yancey County, NC; observed April 26) Trillium rugelii eraskin 2020-04.jpg
Putative hybrid with Trillium erectum (Yancey County, NC; observed April 26)

Trillium rugelii is a long-lived perennial, herbaceous, flowering plant that persists by means of an underground rhizome. Like all trilliums, it has a whorl of three bracts (leaves) and a single trimerous flower with 3  sepals, 3  petals, two whorls of 3  stamens each, and 3  carpels (fused into a single ovary with 3  stigmas). [5] The white flower has a short, strongly recurved stalk (called a pedicel) nodding below the leaves. The broad petals are recurved at the middle of the petal. The dark purple anthers are conspicuously long, at least as long as the carpels, sometimes extending beyond the carpels. The ovary is flask-shaped.

Trillium rugelii hybridizes with other Trillium species, especially Trillium vaseyi . In that case, the pedicel of the hybrid retains the short, recurved character of Trillium rugelii whereas the petals may be rose colored, dark rose-red, or bicolored due to influence of Trillium vaseyi. [6]

An unnamed form of Trillium rugelii in central Alabama differs from the more typical form in the mountainous regions of Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. It has narrower petals that are strongly recurved from the base (not middle) of the petal. The filaments are white (not purple). The ovary is mostly white, streaked with purple (not completely dark purple as in the mountainous form). The color and length of the anthers is the same in the two forms. The Alabama plants are said to produce "strongly fragrant flowers with the odor of old-fashioned garden roses." [7] Although the floral fragrance is often stronger in southern populations, it remains variable overall. [3] Despite these reports, Trillium rugelii is sometimes called the illscented wakerobin. [8]

Similar species

With its white flower hanging below the leaves, Trillium rugelii is similar in habit and appearance to Trillium cernuum . Dried specimens are particularly difficult to distinguish. [9] In the field, Trillium rugelii is more robust than Trillium cernuum, with broader, heavily textured petals and longer, dark purple (not pale lavender) anthers. Compared to the mountainous form, the Alabama form of Trillium rugelii more closely resembles Trillium cernuum. In both cases, the long dark purple anthers are the most reliable distinguishing character.

Taxonomy

Trillium rugelii was named and described by the English botanist Alfred Barton Rendle in 1901. [2] The specific epithet rugelii honors Ferdinand Rugel, [10] the botanist who collected the type specimen of Trillium rugelii in 1841. [11] Rugel found the specimen in the mountains near the Broad River in western North Carolina. [12] At the same time he described Trillium rugelii, Rendle also described Trillium affine based on a specimen collected by Rugel in Georgia. [13] [14] [15] The name Trillium affineRendle is considered to be a synonym for Trillium rugeliiRendle, [3] whereas the latter is a widely accepted name. [7] [8] [4] [16]

Trillium rugelii is a member of Trillium subgenus Trillium, commonly called the erectum group, a closely related group of seven species in the southeastern United States: Trillium cernuum , Trillium erectum , Trillium flexipes , Trillium rugelii, Trillium simile , Trillium sulcatum , and Trillium vaseyi . Natural hybrids are common within this group.

Synonyms

In 1803, André Michaux named and described Trillium rhomboideum var. album based on a specimen he collected and identified as a white-flowered form of Trillium erectum. [17] [18] However, the type specimen of Michaux's variety is in fact Trillium rugelii, [3] [19] and therefore Trillium rhomboideum var. albumMichx. is a synonym for Trillium rugeliiRendle. [4]

In 1813, Frederick Traugott Pursh described Trillium erectum var. album with a smaller flower, white petals, and a red ovary. [20] [21] By reference to a published illustration, [22] Pursh made it clear he was describing a white-flowered form of Trillium erectum. However, since Pursh's variety is based on Trillium rhomboideum var. albumMichx., the infraspecific name Trillium erectum var. album(Michx.) Pursh is likewise a synonym for Trillium rugeliiRendle.

In 1903, John Kunkel Small described Trillium album, a white-flowered form of Trillium erectum. [23] Similar to Pursh's variety, Small's species was based on Trillium rhomboideum var. albumMichx., and therefore Trillium album(Michx.) Small is a synonym for Trillium rugeliiRendle.

The influential Flora of North America (FNA) accepts Trillium erectum var. album(Michx.) Pursh. [24] As of December 2024, few authorities still follow FNA, [25] but most consider one or both of Trillium erectum var. album(Michx.) Pursh and Trillium album(Michx.) Small to be synonyms for Trillium erectumL. [26] [27] [28] [29] A notable exception is Plants of the World Online, which explicitly cites Floden & Knapp (2023). [30] [31]

Distribution and habitat

Trillium rugelii is endemic to the southeastern United States. It is found in the Great Smoky Mountains, [32] 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. [33] It prefers to grow near streams in humus-rich soil under the shade of deciduous trees.

Ecology

Trillium rugelii is a long-lived perennial herbaceous plant that blooms mid April to May. [7] Assuming the flower is pollinated, a berry-like capsule matures early to mid summer. The fruits do not appear to be adapted for long distance seed dispersal and most likely fall near the parent plant. [1] In general, Trillium species are myrmecochorous, that is, ants facilitate seed dispersal. Trillium seeds have a white fleshy appendage called an elaiosome, which attracts ants. Since each seed of Trillium rugelii has an attached elaiosome, [34] presumably its seeds are dispersed by ants as well.

Conservation

In 2009, Trillium rugelii was reported to be endangered in Tennessee. [35] As of December 2024, NatureServe reports that Trillium rugelii is apparently secure (G4) across its range. [1] Statewide, it is vulnerable (S3) in Georgia and North Carolina, and imperiled (S2) in Alabama, South Carolina, and Tennessee.

Overall, Trillium rugelii faces a medium level of threat. [1] Significant threats include silvicultural practices, logging, and utility rights-of-way. The species is occasionally threatened by deer grazing and invasive species. Plant collecting for personal collections is also a threat.

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.

<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 the most widespread and abundant trillium in western North America. Its type specimen was gathered by Meriwether Lewis during the return trip of the Lewis and Clark Expedition in 1806.

<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 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 threatened in North Carolina.

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

Trillium cuneatum, the little sweet betsy, also known as whip-poor-will flower, large toadshade, purple toadshade, and bloody butcher, is a species of flowering plant in the family Melanthiaceae. It is a member of the Trillium cuneatum complex, a subgroup of the sessile-flowered trilliums. It is native to the southeastern United States but is especially common in a region that extends from southern Kentucky through central Tennessee to northern Alabama. In its native habitat, this perennial plant flowers from early March to late April. It is the largest of the eastern sessile-flowered trilliums.

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

Trillium cernuum is a species of flowering plant in the bunchflower family Melanthiaceae. The specific epithet cernuum means "drooping, curving forwards, facing downwards", a distinctive habit of its flower. It is commonly called nodding trillium or nodding wakerobin since the flower is invariably found nodding beneath the leaves. 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. 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.

<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 petiolatum</i> Species of flowering plant

Trillium petiolatum, the Idaho trillium, also known as the long-petioled trillium or round-leaved trillium, is a species of flowering plant in the family Melanthiaceae. It is native to the northwestern United States, in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. Its type specimen was gathered by Meriwether Lewis during the return trip of the Lewis and Clark Expedition in 1806.

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

Trillium angustipetalum, with the common name is narrowpetal wakerobin, is a species of Trillium, plants which may be included within the Liliaceae or the newer family Melanthiaceae.

<i>Plantago rugelii</i> Species of flowering plant in the plantain family Plantaginaceae

Plantago rugelii is an edible species of flowering plant in the plantain family, Plantaginaceae. It is native to North America, where it occurs in eastern Canada and the central and eastern United States. Its common names include American plantain, blackseed plantain, and pale plantain. The specific epithet rugelii honors Ferdinand Rugel, a botanist and plant collector who collected plant specimens throughout the southeastern United States during the period 1840–1848.

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

Trillium maculatum, the spotted wakerobin or spotted trillium, is a species of flowering plant in the 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, ranging across Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, and northern Florida.

<i>Lithospermum tuberosum</i> Species of flowering plant in the borage family Boraginaceae

Lithospermum tuberosum, commonly called the southern stoneseed or tuberous stoneseed, is a species of flowering plant in the forget-me-not family. It is native to the Southeastern United States, where it is found in calcareous woodlands.

<i>Hypericum frondosum</i> Species of flowering plant in the St Johns wort family Hypericaceae

Hypericum frondosum, the cedarglade St. Johnswort or golden St. John's wort, is a species of flowering plant in the St. John's wort family, Hypericaceae. It is native to the central and southeastern United States in dry, rocky habitats.

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

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.

Ferdinand Ignatius Xavier Rugel was a German-born American pharmacist, botanist, and plant collector.

References

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  2. 1 2 "Trillium rugeliiRendle". International Plant Names Index (IPNI). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; Harvard University Herbaria & Libraries; Australian National Botanic Gardens . Retrieved 4 December 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Floden & Knapp (2023), pp. 196–197.
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  18. Michaux (1803), Vol. 1, pp. 215–216.
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  35. Edward W. Chester; B. Eugene Wofford; Dwayne Estes; Claude Bailey (2009). Barney Lipscomb (ed.). A Fifth Checklist of Tennessee Vascular Plants. Botanical Research Institute of Texas. p. 18. ISBN   978-1889878-26-3.

Bibliography