Trillium

Trillium is a genus in the Trilliaceae family with 43 species, with 38 in North America and 5 in Asia. The leaves, petals, and sepals come in parts of 3 and are indicative of the genus name. Plants grow from thickened rhizomes. They are mostly woodland plants that require shade and humus rich soil. For more information about Trillium search the Trillium-l and see Trillium and the Trilliaceae.

Growing Trillium from seed require more attention than some other geophyte species. Seeds require two warm/cold cycles to germinate (they won't germinate until the second spring after they have been sown). However, this rule does not apply to T. rivale, which ought to sprout after only one cycle (Diana Chapman). Collect seeds of Trillium just when they are ripe and keep them moist until sown. If they are to be shipped away, they must be kept moist otherwise they will enter a deep dormancy that will take much longer (sometimes 3 warm/cold cycles) to germinate (Bill Dijk). For better results, sow the seeds ASAP in a well-drained mix. Hasten the germination period by exposing the seeds to artificial warm/cold cycles, with 2-3 months of warmth, followed by a cold period in the refrigerator. Repeat this process until germination occurs (Bill Dijk). It has been reported that various chemicals and physical abrasion of the seed coat also helps to break dormancy but growers on this forum finds that the best way is just to keep the seeds moist and sow them fresh. Arils in Trillium seeds probably do not inhibit germination in at least T. ovatum as found by (Diana Chapman). Mary Sue Ittner found the best results after trying some of these methods with Trillium ovatum was the simple method of planting the seed directly in the garden when it was ripe in a spot she expected it would like. John Lonsdale has written about his experience in Pennsylvania cultivating Trillium in this article.


For more photos and information about the species select the appropriate wiki page or click on the name in the table below:


Trillium species
Trillium albidum, looking down on multiple stems, Dave Brastow [Shift+click to enlarge, Click to go to wiki entry]
Trillium albidum
Trillium angustipetalum, Montaña de Oro State Park, Kjirsten Wayman [Shift+click to enlarge, Click to go to wiki entry]
Trillium angustipetalum
Trillium catesbaei, John Lonsdale [Shift+click to enlarge, Click to go to wiki entry]
Trillium catesbaei
Trillium chloropetalum, Ernie O'Byrne [Shift+click to enlarge, Click to go to wiki entry]
Trillium chloropetalum
Trillium cuneatum, John Lonsdale [Shift+click to enlarge, Click to go to wiki entry]
Trillium cuneatum
Trillium decipiens, John Lonsdale [Shift+click to enlarge, Click to go to wiki entry]
Trillium decipiens
Trillium decumbens, John Lonsdale [Shift+click to enlarge, Click to go to wiki entry]
Trillium decumbens
Trillium discolor, John Lonsdale [Shift+click to enlarge, Click to go to wiki entry]
Trillium discolor
Trillium erectum, John Lonsdale [Shift+click to enlarge, Click to go to wiki entry]
Trillium erectum
Trillium flexipes, John Lonsdale [Shift+click to enlarge, Click to go to wiki entry]
Trillium flexipes
Trillium foetidissimum, John Lonsdale [Shift+click to enlarge, Click to go to wiki entry]
Trillium foetidissimum
Trillium gracile, John Lonsdale [Shift+click to enlarge, Click to go to wiki entry]
Trillium gracile
Trillium grandiflorum, photo by John Lonsdale [Shift+click to enlarge, Click to go to wiki entry]
Trillium grandiflorum
Trillium rugelii hybrid with Trillium vaseyi, John Lonsdale [Shift+click to enlarge, Click to go to wiki entry]
Trillium hybrids
Trillium kurabayashii, Elaine Allison [Shift+click to enlarge, Click to go to wiki entry]
Trillium kurabayashii
Trillium lancifolium, John Lonsdale [Shift+click to enlarge, Click to go to wiki entry]
Trillium lancifolium
Trillium ludovicianum, John Lonsdale [Shift+click to enlarge, Click to go to wiki entry]
Trillium ludovicianum
Trillium luteum, Nhu Nguyen [Shift+click to enlarge, Click to go to wiki entry]
Trillium luteum
Trillium maculatum, John Lonsdale [Shift+click to enlarge, Click to go to wiki entry]
Trillium maculatum
Trillium nivale, John Lonsdale [Shift+click to enlarge, Click to go to wiki entry]
Trillium nivale
Trillium ovatum, Mary Sue Ittner [Shift+click to enlarge, Click to go to wiki entry]
Trillium ovatum
 Trillium parviflorum, a close-up, Dave Brastow [Shift+click to enlarge, Click to go to wiki entry]
* Trillium parviflorum
Trillium pusillum var. pusillum, John Lonsdale [Shift+click to enlarge, Click to go to wiki entry]
Trillium pusillum
Trillium recurvatum, John Lonsdale [Shift+click to enlarge, Click to go to wiki entry]
Trillium recurvatum
Trillium reliquum, John Lonsdale [Shift+click to enlarge, Click to go to wiki entry]
Trillium reliquum
Pseudotrillium  rivale, Keir Morse, CC BY-NC-SA [Shift+click to enlarge, Click to go to wiki entry]
* Trillium rivale
Trillium rugelii, John Lonsdale [Shift+click to enlarge, Click to go to wiki entry]
Trillium rugelii
Trillium sessile, John Lonsdale [Shift+click to enlarge, Click to go to wiki entry]
Trillium sessile
Trillium simile, John Lonsdale [Shift+click to enlarge, Click to go to wiki entry]
Trillium simile
Trillium stamineum, John Lonsdale [Shift+click to enlarge, Click to go to wiki entry]
Trillium stamineum
Trillium sulcatum, John Lonsdale [Shift+click to enlarge, Click to go to wiki entry]
Trillium sulcatum
Trillium tschonoskii, Mari Kitama [Shift+click to enlarge, Click to go to wiki entry]
Trillium tschonoskii
Trillium underwoodii, photo by John Lonsdale [Shift+click to enlarge, Click to go to wiki entry]
Trillium underwoodii
Trillium undulatum, Nhu Nguyen [Shift+click to enlarge, Click to go to wiki entry]
Trillium undulatum
Trillium vaseyi, John Lonsdale [Shift+click to enlarge, Click to go to wiki entry]
Trillium vaseyi
* = synonym

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