Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Monocots: Liliales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/14/23):
Trillium rugelii
FAMILY
Trilliaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Test-drive A Teaching Key to Trillium.
Learn more about Southern Nodding Trillium from the Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
See an unusual upright form on Jim Fowler's blog.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Trillium rugelii
FAMILY
Liliaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Trillium rugelii
SYNONYMOUS WITH Trilliums of Georgia. Tipularia (Patrick, 2007)
Trillium rugelii
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 26 (2002)
Trillium rugelii
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Trillium rugelii
INCLUDED WITHIN VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 041-03-005?:
Trillium cernuum FAMILY Liliaceae
INCLUDED WITHIN Britton & Brown Illus Flora of Northeast US & adjacent Canada (Gleason, 1952)
Trillium cernuum var. macranthum
INCLUDED WITHIN Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Trillium cernuum
COMMON NAME:
Southern Nodding Trillium
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
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JK Marlow jkm230320_1733
March Greenville County SC
Chestnut Ridge Heritage Preserve
)
Samantha Tessel sam032023_1791
March Greenville County SC
Chestnut Ridge Heritage Preserve
Ovary white, or white w purple apex, or w blushes of pink or purple, or entirely pinkish-purple. — Tom Patrick (personal communication)
)
Samantha Tessel sam032023_1792
March Greenville County SC
Chestnut Ridge Heritage Preserve
)
Samantha Tessel sam032023_1793
March Greenville County SC
Chestnut Ridge Heritage Preserve
Anthers may not be burgundy, but either albino, yellow or pale pinkish-purple. — Tom Patrick (personal communication)
)
Bill Sharpton gws1555_a
April McCormick County SC
Stevens Creek Heritage Preserve
For years T. rugelii was thought to be synonymous with T. cernuum, per Trilliums of Georgia (Patrick, 2007).
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JK Marlow jkm070407_022
April McCormick County SC
Stevens Creek Heritage Preserve
"T. cernuum" is now considered to be restricted to the northeastern US, per Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 1st ed. (Porcher & Rayner, 2001).
)
JK Marlow jkm090412_208
April Greenville County SC
Chestnut Ridge Heritage Preserve
Petals ovate to elliptic, much broader than the sepals, per Weakley's Flora.
)
JK Marlow jkm170401_437
April McCormick County SC
Stevens Creek Heritage Preserve
Leaves not mottled, rhombic to rhombic-ovate, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
)
JK Marlow jkm170408_493
April Laurens County SC
Sumter National Forest: Tyger Ranger District
Petals strongly recurved; ovary mostly white to pink, stamens bicolored, per Trilliums of Georgia (Patrick, 2007).
)
JK Marlow jkm190413_7268
April Rabun County GA
Pedicel normally below the leaves, when above, the flower facing downward, per Trilliums of Georgia (Patrick, 2007).
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_t_rugelii_southnod_9
April
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_trillium_rugelii_2
April
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_trillium_rugelii_9
April
Filaments white; anthers lavender to vivid purple and longer than filaments, per Weakley's Flora.
COMPARE
flowers of white-flowering Trilliums
)
JK Marlow jkm080504_001
May Swain County NC
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Petals white or maroon, per Weakley's Flora.
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/14/23):
Trillium rugelii
FAMILY
Trilliaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Trillium rugelii
FAMILY
Liliaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Trillium rugelii
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Trilliums of Georgia. Tipularia (Patrick, 2007)
Trillium rugelii
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 26
Trillium rugelii
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Trillium rugelii
INCLUDED WITHIN
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 041-03-005?:
Trillium cernuum
FAMILY
Liliaceae
INCLUDED WITHIN
Britton & Brown Illus Flora of Northeast US & adjacent Canada (Gleason, 1952)
Trillium cernuum var. macranthum
INCLUDED WITHIN
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Trillium cernuum
1555
Forb
Perennial
Habitat: Rich woodlands and forests over mafic or calcareous rocks, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Uncommon in Mountains, rare in Piedmont
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
Click here to see a map showing all occurrences known to SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria. (Zoom in to see more detail.)
LEAVES:
Simple
A single terminal whorl of 3 leaves
Leaves sessile to subsessile
FLOWER:
Spring
White or maroon
Pedicel 1-1.5x length of sepals
Flowers below the leaves
Radially symmetrical
3 sepals
3 petals
Bisexual
FRUIT:
Summer
Dark maroon-purple
Berry
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 1st ed. (Porcher & Rayner, 2001) p177
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 2nd ed. (McMillan, Porcher, Rayner, & White; 2022) p217
- Field Guide to the Rare Plants of Georgia (Chafin, 2007) p409
- Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast (Cotterman, Waitt, & Weakley, 2019) p095
- Wildflowers of the Eastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1999) p170
- Field Guide to the Wildflowers of Georgia (Chafin, 2016) p425
- Wildflowers of Tennessee (Carman, 2005) p378
- Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians (Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly, & Duhl, 2005) p430
- Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998) p016?
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