White Trillium Flowering

Queen among spring ephemerals is the Large-flowered Trillium (Trillium grandiflorum), whose bright white three-petaled flowers can carpet the forest floor at this time of year, given the right (not highly acidic) soil. Because the base of its petals overlap, the flower has a funnel-like shape and as they age, the petals turn pale to deep pink.

As its genus name indicates, this trillium, like others, has its parts arranged in threes or multiples of three – three leaves, three sepals, three petals, six stamens, three stigmas and an ovary that has three sections. Never take a Large-flowered Trillium flower for granted – the plant must grow for 16-17 years before producing a flower. Plants in excess of 70 years of age have been documented.

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