Large
Flowered Trillium
Trillium
grandiflorum
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Flowered Trillium
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By
May, the ephemerals are gone from all but the highest elevations, so it's
time for the Trilliums to take over. The Large-Flowered Trillium is perhaps our best-known, both for its beauty and relatively common occurrence.
They often cover entire slopes. As with all Trilliums, the plant parts come in threes - three leaves, three petals, three sepals.
The pure white flowers (often up to 4" across) stand erect on a short stalk emanating from the center of the 3-leaf whorl. Notice the lovely, delicate waves along the edges of the petals. The leaves are 8-10" long, 4-6" wide, and the plants usually grow 10-16" high. The blooms will turn pink after fertilization, mimicking the Catesby's Trillium. Cateby's however, start out pink and its flowers are reflexed (hiding under the leaves) rather than erect. Large-Flowered Trilliums (as with most) prefer rich hardwood slopes, not too much sun, not too much shade, mostly at elevations between 3000-4000 feet. Around Asheville, they're in full bloom all up & down the Parkway from mid-to late May.
fdudley@weaversites.com
Fiona Dudley
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