Meet the Large-Flowered Trillium
Large-Flowered Trillium | Trillium grandiflorum
How do you know it’s me?:
I am an herbaceous perennial wildflower.
Among the trilliums, I have one of the largest flowers - typically between 2”-4” across.
I am a plant that applies the rule of 3’s - three leaves, three green “bracts” beneath my flower, and a single 3-petaled flower.
My leaves are a wide, pointed oval shape, sometimes with wavy margins. They are “whorled” around my stem.
My flower petals can also have wavy edges.
I tend to grow in colonies.
I have smooth stems that can be green or have a burgundy hue.
How big do I grow?: 1’ - 2’ height and 0.5’ - 1’ spread.
Sun-seeker or shade-lover: Part shade to full shade.
Where I prefer to put my roots: I prefer organically rich, well-drained soils.
Hardiness: Zone 4-8
Original home: I am native to eastern North America.
Colors: White or light pink. Other trillium species offer other colors.
When I bloom: Spring.
Wildlife friends: A variety of bees enjoy my flower nectar, and I am a larval host plant for a couple of native moth species.
Flora Fun Facts: Ants are one of the primary mechanisms for dispersing my seeds. They are attracted to the seed’s sticky coating, which attaches to their body, allowing them to carry it off and drop it in new locations.
More Info: After a bout of warm, wet spring weather, trillium will start to unfurl in colonies on the forest floor, accompanied by other “spring ephemerals,” or early flowering perennials with a short blooming season. The trillium holds beauty in its simplicity and symmetry - three delicate petals ringed by three leaves.
A member of the trillium family (Melanthiaceae).
Notice the use of “tri” in the name “trillium,” an indicator of the number of leaves and bracts on each plant.
Trilliums sometimes do not respond well to transplanting,. They can be planted as rhizomes (similar to bulbs) in late summer, or as young plants in the spring.
They take many years to reach the flowering stage and, once established, can live a long time.
Historically the trillium leaf was used as medicine, to stop bleeding after childbirth, or to assist with uterine disorders.
It’s advised to not harvest the trillium, but to simply enjoy its beauty from afar. In some areas, trillium are at risk from overharvesting and disease.
The trillium is the official flower of Ontario, Canada - adopted in 1937. It is also considered a symbol of bisexual pride, used at Pride events internationally.
