The Dawes Arboretum
The Dawes Arboretum
The Dawes Arboretum
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Taxon
English
Taxon
Trillium erectum
Common name:
red trillium, purple trillium
Family:
Liliaceae (lily family)
Distribution:
e. North America
IUCN Red list:
Least concern
Hardiness:
USDA Zone 3
Life form:
Herbaceous perennial
Comments:
Red trillium is a beautiful spring wildflower, with deep reddish to purplish maroon flowers produced on tall curved stalks from late March to June. Interestingly, the flowers do not have a pleasant fragrance to complement their beauty, instead exuding a more carrion-like odor to attract flies or beetles to help with pollination. The flowers are followed by fleshy, berry-like fruits. Plants will often grow in large, colonial masses throughout woods. Native Americans used the root of this plant to treat menstrual disorders and to aid in childbirth. The whole plant was often used to treat tumors or inflammation by being made into a poultice.
Links:
•
Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN Taxonomy)
•
USDA PLANTS Database - US Department of Agriculture
Locations
1:
Woodland Garden (WLG)
(WLG)
• Accession: D2018-0304 • Provenance: Cultivated of Garden Origin
Area
Individual