Trillium_recurvatum

<i>Trillium recurvatum</i>

Trillium recurvatum

Species of plant

Trillium recurvatum, the prairie trillium,[3] toadshade,[4][5] or bloody butcher,[6] is a species of perennial herbaceous flowering plant in the family Melanthiaceae.[3][6] 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.[6][7] It grows in mesic forests and savannas, often in calcareous soils.[8][9] It is also known as bloody noses,[3] red trillium,[4] prairie wake-robin,[5] purple trillium,[10] and reflexed trillium,[11] in reference to its reflexed sepals.[11][10]

Quick Facts Trillium recurvatum, Conservation status ...

Description

Trillium recurvatum grows up to 40 cm (16 in) tall with three ovate to lanceolate bracts, mottled green, 6 to 18 cm (2 to 7 in) long and 2 to 6.5 cm (1 to 3 in) across, petiolate at maturity.[3][10]

The flower has three brown to maroon petals that are 1.8 to 4.8 cm (1 to 2 in) long and 0.9 to 2 cm (0 to 1 in) across, with the petal tips arching over the stamens.[3][10] The sepals are recurved, pointing downwards when the flower has fully opened. The anthers are also dark purple, up to 16 mm (1 in) long.[12] The stigmas are recurved at the tips.[12] It is distinguished from other sessile-flowered Trillium species, such as Trillium sessile, by its reflexed sepals.[10]

The fruit is green, sometimes streaked with purple or white, with six well-developed ridges.[12] The seeds have an oil-rich structure called an elaiosome, which promotes dispersal by ants and other foraging insects.

  • A population in the early stages of flowering, still in bud
  • An individual with mature fruit, late in the summer
  • Fruits and seeds
  • An unusual individual with four leaves

Conservation

Trillium recurvatum is common throughout much of its range. It is not considered to be globally threatened, and its status is considered secure.[1] However, it is monitored by conservation agencies in several states at the edge of its range, where it becomes rare. For example, in Wisconsin it is considered rare or uncommon (S3) and therefore a species of special concern.[11] In Michigan, it is considered a state threatened species and is protected by law.[4]

References

  1. [1]
    "Trillium recurvatum". NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  2. [2]
    Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
  3. [3]
    Case Jr., Frederick W. (2002). "Trillium recurvatum". 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 19 April 2020 – via eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
  4. [4]
    "Trillium recurvatum Beck" (PDF). Michigan Natural Features Inventory. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
  5. [5]
    "Plant Details: Trillium recurvatum". North Carolina Native Plant Society. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  6. [6]
    USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Trillium recurvatum". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
  7. [7]
    Trillium recurvatum web page from Vanderbilt Bioimages Archived 2010-03-17 at the Wayback Machine
  8. [8]
    "Flora of the Southern and Mid-Atlantic States".
  9. [9]
    "Prairie Trillium (Trillium recurvatum recurvatum)". www.illinoiswildflowers.info. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  10. [10]
    Tenaglia, Dan. "Trillium recurvatum L.C. Beck, Purple Trillium". www.missouriplants.com. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  11. [11]
    Reflexed Trillium (Trillium revurvatum), Endangered Resources Program Species Information, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
  12. [12]
    Wilhelm, Gerould; Rericha, Laura (2017). Flora of the Chicago Region: A Floristic and Ecological Synthesis. Indiana Academy of Sciences.
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