Trillium erectum var. album

(Michaux) Pursh

Fl. Amer. Sept. 1: 245. 1814.

Endemic
Basionym: Trillium rhomboideum var. album Michaux Fl. Bor.-Amer. 1: 215. 1803
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 26. Treatment on page 98. Mentioned on page 104.

Petals white.


Phenology: Flowering spring (late Mar–early May).
Habitat: Upland deciduous forested slopes, stream banks, wooded roadsides at lower elevations
Elevation: 200–700 m

Distribution

V26 101-distribution-map.jpg

N.B., Ont., Que., Conn., Del., Ga., Ill., Ind., Ky., Maine, Md., Mass., Mich., N.H., N.J., N.Y., N.C., Ohio, Pa., R.I., S.C., Tenn., Vt., Va., W.Va.

Discussion

Variety album is occasional throughout the range stated above and is almost the only variety of Trillium erectum found at elevations less than 450 m in western North Carolina and areas surrounding the Great Smoky Mountains, but occasional white-flowered plants can occur in any population.

Variety album differs from var. erectum mainly just in petal color, and probably should be reduced to the rank of forma. Many other colors occur sporadically in otherwise typically maroon to purple populations, most frequently a soft pale yellow, but also white with a pink overlay, or paler forms of reddish maroon. Only some of these other forms seem to have been named. This is probably to the good, since some are forms in the true sense but others may represent interspecific hybrids (F. W. Case and G. L. Burrows 1962). Reports of T. erectum from west of the mapped distribution in Ohio, Michigan, and Illinois may represent T. flexipes forma walpolei, introgressive hybrids between outlying colonies of T. erectum and various other species (F. W. Case and G. L. Burrows 1962; F. W. Case and R. B. Case 1997), or escapes from gardens.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"thin" is not a number."broad" is not a number."widest" is not a number."compressed-shortened" is not a number. "elongated" is not a number."thick" is not a number."dm" is not declared as a valid unit of measurement for this property."thicker" is not a number.No values specified.

pale-yellow +, maroon +, dark reddish-brown +, white +  and purple +
yellow +, yellowish +, grayish maroon +  and dark maroon +
versatile +  and dorsifixed +
more or less equaling or longer +
recurving +  and erect +
cordate +  and linear +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (1.2 cm12 mm <br />0.012 m <br />) +
variable +  and equaling +
acuminate +
Frederick W. Case Jr. +
(Michaux) Pursh +
whorled +, opposite +  and alternate +
attenuate +
Trillium rhomboideum var. album +
reticulate-veined +  and parallel-veined +
dark pigmentation +  and bright green +
mottled +  and green +
1;several +
obovate;elliptical +
tunicate +  and scaly +
thin-walled +
N.B. +, Ont. +, Que. +, Conn. +, Del. +, Ga. +, Ill. +, Ind. +, Ky. +, Maine +, Md. +, Mass. +, Mich. +, N.H. +, N.J. +, N.Y. +, N.C. +, Ohio +, Pa. +, R.I. +, S.C. +, Tenn. +, Vt. +, Va. +  and W.Va. +
yellowish +  and white +
200–700 m +
dark purple +, pinkish +  and white +
connate-coroniform +  and dilated +
ascending +  and erect +
unisexual +  and bisexual +
white-flowered +
baccate +  and capsular +
dark maroon +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (1.6 cm16 mm <br />0.016 m <br />) +
fragrant +
less globose +  and slightly pyramidal +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br />) +
Upland deciduous forested slopes, stream banks, wooded roadsides at lower elevations +
paired +, paniculate +  and racemose +
persistent +
dark purple +  and maroon +
6-angled;elliptic;globose +
many;several +
recurved +, declined +  and erect +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (10 cm100 mm <br />0.1 m <br />) +
distinct +
clawed;obovate;linear +
heavy-textured +
Flowering spring (late Mar–early May). +
parietal +  and axile +
6-lobed +  and 3-lobed +
Fl. Amer. Sept. +
branched +, unbranched +  and monopodial +
subterranean +
semierect +  and horizontal +
praemorse +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br />) +
straight +
erect +  and arising +
wind-distributed +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br />) +
alternating +
dark maroon +, overlain with maroon +, streaked +  and green +
persistent +
distinct +
ovate +, ovatelanceolate +, lanceolate +, flat +  and lanceolate-acuminate +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br />) +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br />) +
divergent +  and alternating +
adnate +  and free +
erect +  and slightly recurved +
staminodial +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br />) +
with very short style +, sessile +  and twisted +
dark purple +
persistent +
less length of ovary +  and 1/2 +
subulate +  and lobed +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br />) +
3 +  and 1 +
sessile +  and subsessile +
Trillium erectum var. album +
Trillium erectum +
variety +
connate +  and distinct +
sepaloid +  and petaloid +
narrower +
5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br /> (20 cm200 mm <br />0.2 m <br />) +
broadly rhombic;ovate-rhombic +
rhizomatous +  and scapose +
3 +  and 2 +