Trilliums in Spring

 

Large Flowered Trillium (grandiflora)

 If asked what my favorite spring wildflower is, I think I would have to say the trillium. According to Wildflowers of Tennessee the Ohio Valley and the Southern Appalachians, (hereafter called Tavia's field guide, since she is the co-author of it), there are about 30 trillium species found in the eastern U.S. Trillium species are divided into 2 major groups. Toadshades, also called sessile trilliums (or should it be trillii for the plural?) have a stalkless flower attached directly above a whorl of 3 mottled leaves. Wakerobins, also called pedicellate trilliums, have the flower on a stalk that rises from a whorl of 3 solid green leaves.

 

Large Flowered Trillium

Nothing is more beautiful than a hillside blanketed in these large showy flowers. You can always remember the name since everything on them comes in threes (tri for three); three leaves, three green sepals beneath three petals. They are mostly white, maroon or red, and yellow. The pink ones are usually the white grandiflora which as already been pollinated. We says that they blush after being pollinated.

Sweet White Trillium (simile)

Be sure to have the field guide along when you go looking for them, because it can be a trick to distinguish sometimes. Here are some things to look for when trying to tell them apart.

1. What color is the center of the flower and the reproductive parts.
2. Are the petals smooth or kind of wavy?
3. Do the petals curve back over themselves (recurved)?
4. Does the flower have a stem that raises it above the leaves? Does the stem bend over so the flowers hangs below the leaves?

Bent Trillium (flexipes)

Trillium is one of many plants whose seeds are spread by ants. At maturity, the base and core of the trillium ovary turns soft and spongy. Trillium seeds have a fleshy organ called an elaiosome that attracts ants. The ants extract the seeds from the decaying ovary and take them to their nest, where they eat the elaiosomes and put the seeds in their garbage, where they germinate in a rich growing medium.

Sessile Trillium (sessile)

Though trillium flowers are very attractive and inviting, they should never be picked, as the 3 leaves below the flower are the plant's only source of food, and the trillium is likely to die or take many years to recover. It is illegal to pick them in some jurisdictions and in all national parks. After germination, a trillium first produces only one leaf and requires another 6-7 years before it flowers for the first time!

Red Trillium (erectum)

Trilliums have some unusual common names. For example, this one (Trillium erectum) is also known as Stinking Benjamin or Stinking Willie, referring to the pungent odor of the flowers, which have been described as smelling like a wet dog. Other less commonly used names are American True-Love, Bumblebee Root, Indian Shamrock and Threeleaf Nightshade. Although I normally try to avoid Latin names (I can't pronounce most of them!) it is very useful to know the scientific names to keep these trillium straight in your mind since each one has so many different common names.

Yellow Trillium (luteum)

The Woodland Garden at Creasey Mahan Nature Preserve hosts a fine collection of trillium on the hillsides. Yellow trilliums have a lemony or sweet citrus aroma if you bend down to sniff it. They range in color from yellow to various shades of green or chartreuse. The sessile trillium commonly found in the woods along Little Huckleberry Creek has an aroma resembling raw beef or carrion, which help to attract flies and beetles which pollinate the plant.

Painted Trillium (undulatum)

While in the Smokey Mountain National Park last week I asked everyone where the painted trilliums were, since I'd never seen one before. The field guide notes that they are infrequent, and you better believe it!  The only one sighted were up the 2.2 mile Porter Trail. The rain continued, but slacked off a bit, so off we went. When we finally found them, about 15 flowers grew on a moss covered boulder, but they were only about 3-4 inches tall! Tavia assures me they are normally the size of all the others. These are the only species with bi-colored petals.

Remember that trilliums have 3 of everything? Well, there is an exception to every rule. This 9 leaved trillium can be found at Cherokee Park in Louisville. Have fun finding trilliums!

Naturally yours,

~denapple

Spring Weed Flowers

Common Chickweed

What is a weed? The simple definition says "A wild plant growing where it is not wanted and in competition with cultivated plants."

 

Yellow Corydalis

The term weed is a subjective one, without any classification value, since a plant that is a weed in one context is not a weed when growing where it belongs or is wanted. Indeed, a number of plants that many consider "weeds", are often intentionally grown by people in gardens or other cultivated-plant settings. Therefore, a weed is a plant that is considered by the user of the term to be a nuisance. The word commonly is applied to unwanted plants in human-controlled settings, especially farm fields and gardens, but also lawns, parks, woods, and other areas. More vaguely, "weed" is applied to any plants that grow and reproduce aggressively and invasively.

Dandelions

Weeds can be native or non-native, invasive or non invasive, and noxious or not noxious. Legally, a noxious weed is any plant designated by a Federal, State or county government as injurious to public health, agriculture, recreation, wildlife or property.



Red Dead Nettle

Are invasive plants the same as noxious weeds? Not necessarily, although many noxious weeds are invasive. Invasive plants include not only noxious weeds, but also other plants that are not native to this country or to the area where they are growing. The Bureau of Land Management considers plants invasive if they have been introduced into an environment where they did not evolve. As a result, they usually have no natural enemies to limit their reproduction and spread. Some invasive plants can produce significant changes to vegetation, composition, structure, or ecosystem function. 

Red Dead Nettle Fills a Field

Henbit

 All that being said, sometimes weeds have beautiful delicate little flowers. You have to get down on your knees to see them closely. Compare the pagoda structure of Red Dead Nettle leaves with the whorled uplifted leaves of Henbit. The leaves, stem, and flowers of Henbit are edible and are faintly reminiscent of spinach.

Japanese Honeysuckle

Weeds are troublesome in many ways. They reduce crop yield by robbing water, light, space, and soil nutrients. Weeds can produce allelopathic substances that are toxic to crop plants. Weeds often serve as hosts for crop diseases; they also may provide shelter for insects and diseases to overwinter. But you must admit, their flowers are often beautiful.

Don't Delay, Come Today

Rue Anemone with phone for size comparison

We waited for weeks and weeks for Spring to bring warm weather and it's finally here! It's amazing how fast the flowers have burst into bloom. Blood root, for example, is ephemeral, and each blossom lasts only a day or two, so they are finished blooming for the most part. I walked around the Nature Preserve last week, just hoping to see some blossoms,and today, the hillside along Little Huckleberry Creek is full of blooms.

Wild Ginger in Woodland Garden

Our Spring Wildflower Walk is April 20, two whole weeks from now, and we hope lots of you will come. Executive Director Tavia Cathcart Brown will be leading walks in both the Woodland Garden and along Huckleberry Creek. It's always a treat to attend one of her walks and hear the stories about the plants and their uses.

 

However, I would encourage any one  who likes wildflowers to come NOW! Don't put off your own hike until April 20, because many plants will be finished blooming by then. For example, this toothwort plant was just budding last week...

...and now they are in full bloom all over the hillsides.

Last week, the twinleaf was barely out of the ground...

...and this week, the leaves and blossoms are fully opened.

Fortunately, some plants have a longer blooming period, and you should be able to see more gorgeous blossoms at the hike.

But why miss the thrill of seeing each species in full bloom? Every year I ask why I continue taking photos of the same plants I already have, but I just can't stop myself. You never know when you will find something extraordinary! It's like saying, "This is the best Christmas ever!"