Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Monocots: Liliales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/14/23):
Trillium pusillum +
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 Carolina Least Trillium from the Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Trillium pusillum +
FAMILY
Liliaceae
INCLUDED WITHIN VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 041-03-009:
Trillium pusillum FAMILY Liliaceae
COMMON NAME:
Carolina Least Trillium, Virginia Dwarf Trillium, Aiken Least Trillium
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
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Mark A. Musselman mam_dwarftrillium031406b
March Dorchester County SC
Audubon Center at Francis Beidler Forest
The most significant population in SC is in Francis Biedler Forest, per Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 1st ed. (Porcher & Rayner, 2001).
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Mark A. Musselman mam_dwarftrillium032210
March Dorchester County SC
Audubon Center at Francis Beidler Forest
Plants of the Trillium pusillum complex remain long in the single-leaf stage, per Weakley's Flora (2020).
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Mark A. Musselman mam_dwarftrillium032210a
March Dorchester County SC
Audubon Center at Francis Beidler Forest
Pollen light yellow, anthers purplish-green between anther sacs, per Weakley's Flora.
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Mark A. Musselman mam_dwarftrillium032505a
March Dorchester County SC
Audubon Center at Francis Beidler Forest
Enitre plant less than 8" high, usually smaller, with narrow blunt leaves, per Trilliums of Georgia (Patrick, 2007).
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Will Stuart wil_6859598330_2f40aa3659
March Orange County NC
North Carolina Botanical Garden
Sepals about as broad as the petals or broader, obtuse, per Weakley's Flora.
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Will Stuart wil6859598330_384b630e55b
March Orange County NC
North Carolina Botanical Garden
Anthers purplish-green between the anther sacs, per Weakley's Flora (2015).
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JK Marlow jkm090411_009
April Greenville County SC
In cultivation
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Will Stuart wil_16903871510
April Anson County NC
Pee Dee National Wildlife Refuge
Leaves of var. pusillum are horizontal to declining, and relatively narrow, per Weakley's Flora (2015).
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/14/23):
Trillium pusillum +
FAMILY
Trilliaceae
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Trillium pusillum +
FAMILY
Liliaceae
INCLUDED WITHIN
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 041-03-009:
Trillium pusillum
FAMILY
Liliaceae
2923
Forb
Perennial
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Rare
LEAVES:
Simple
A single terminal whorl of 3 leaves
Leaves sessile to very short-petiolate
FLOWER:
Spring
White
turning pink with age
Pedicel 0.5-2cm long
Flowers above the leaves
Radially symmetrical
3 sepals
3 petals
Bisexual
FRUIT:
Summer
White to greenish-white
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) p297
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 2nd ed. (McMillan, Porcher, Rayner, & White; 2022) p454
- Field Guide to the Rare Plants of Georgia (Chafin, 2007) p411
- Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast (Cotterman, Waitt, & Weakley, 2019) p094
- Wildflowers of the Eastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1999) p170
- Wildflowers of Tennessee (Carman, 2005) p378
- Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians (Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly, & Duhl, 2005) p429
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