OF THE CAROLINAS & GEORGIA

Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Monocots: Liliales

WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/14/23):
Trillium erectum   FAMILY Trilliaceae   Go to FSUS key



INCLUDED WITHIN PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Trillium erectum   FAMILY Liliaceae

INCLUDED WITHIN Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)

Trillium erectum

INCLUDED WITHIN Trilliums of Georgia. Tipularia (Patrick, 2007)

Trillium erectum

INCLUDING Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 26 (2002)

Trillium erectum var. album

INCLUDING Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 26 (2002)

Trillium erectum var. erectum

INCLUDED WITHIN Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)

Trillium erectum

INCLUDED WITHIN VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 041-03-006a:

Trillium erectum var. erectum   FAMILY Liliaceae

INCLUDED WITHIN Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)

Trillium erectum

 

COMMON NAME:
Red Trillium, Purple Trillium, Stinking Willie, Stinking Benjamin


         To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.

image of Trillium erectum, Red Trillium, Purple Trillium, Stinking Willie, Stinking Benjamin

USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913    pnd_trer3_001_lvd

        

A limited study indicated that vars. album & erectum are genetically distinct. More study needed, per Weakley's Flora (2023).

image of Trillium erectum, Red Trillium, Purple Trillium, Stinking Willie, Stinking Benjamin

JK Marlow    jkm060429_163

April    Clay County    NC

Nantahala National Forest: Tusquitee Ranger District

image of Trillium erectum, Red Trillium, Purple Trillium, Stinking Willie, Stinking Benjamin

JK Marlow    jkm060429_165

April    Clay County    NC

Nantahala National Forest: Tusquitee Ranger District

A trillium with erect flower stalk and narrow petals is likely T. erectum, per Vascular Plants of North Carolina.

image of Trillium erectum, Red Trillium, Purple Trillium, Stinking Willie, Stinking Benjamin

JK Marlow    jkm170413_569

April    Sevier County    TN

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Stamens & ovary (cup) totally exposed. Sepals & petals (saucer) spreading, per Trilliums of Georgia (Patrick, 2007).

image of Trillium erectum, Red Trillium, Purple Trillium, Stinking Willie, Stinking Benjamin

Keith Bradley    kab_trillium_erectum_2140

April    Haywood County    NC

Blue Ridge Parkway

image of Trillium erectum, Red Trillium, Purple Trillium, Stinking Willie, Stinking Benjamin

Betsy George    bmg_050122_7406

May    Rabun County    GA

Black Rock Mountain State Park

Leaves uniformly green, about as wide as long, and stalkless, per Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 1st ed. (Porcher & Rayner, 2001).

image of Trillium erectum, Red Trillium, Purple Trillium, Stinking Willie, Stinking Benjamin

JK Marlow    jkm0405h_03

May    Haywood County    NC

Corneille Bryan Native Garden

Petals spreading from base in the same plane as the sepals, per Weakley's Flora.

image of Trillium erectum, Red Trillium, Purple Trillium, Stinking Willie, Stinking Benjamin

JK Marlow    jkm0405k_30

May    Sevier County    TN

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

All Trillium erectum have a dark ovary, per Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998).


click here to see other plants that look similar to this COMPARE flowers of white-flowering Trilliums

image of Trillium erectum, Red Trillium, Purple Trillium, Stinking Willie, Stinking Benjamin

JK Marlow    jkm0505p_07

May    Transylvania County    NC

Blue Ridge Parkway

image of Trillium erectum, Red Trillium, Purple Trillium, Stinking Willie, Stinking Benjamin

JK Marlow    jkm060508_158

May    Macon County    NC

Nantahala National Forest: Wayah Ranger District

Sepals 0.5-0.8x as long as the pedicel, per Weakley's Flora.

image of Trillium erectum, Red Trillium, Purple Trillium, Stinking Willie, Stinking Benjamin

JK Marlow    jkm160503_186

May    Haywood-Jackson Counties    NC

Stamens about as long as pistil or shorter, visible from side view, per Wildflowers of the Eastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1999).

image of Trillium erectum, Red Trillium, Purple Trillium, Stinking Willie, Stinking Benjamin

JK Marlow    jkm160503_188

May    Haywood-Jackson Counties    NC

image of Trillium erectum, Red Trillium, Purple Trillium, Stinking Willie, Stinking Benjamin

Richard and Teresa Ware    rtw_t_erectum_5_06_07_3_s

May    Towns-Union Counties    GA

Brasstown Bald

Petals rarely more than 2x as broad as the sepals, per Weakley's Flora.

image of Trillium erectum, Red Trillium, Purple Trillium, Stinking Willie, Stinking Benjamin

Gill Newberry    gn081223_0858

August        NC

Blue Ridge Parkway

Material from Southern Appalachians is somewhat smaller than northern specimens, ...

image of Trillium erectum, Red Trillium, Purple Trillium, Stinking Willie, Stinking Benjamin

Gill Newberry    gn081223_0861

August        NC

Blue Ridge Parkway

...has more spreading petals, produces shiny black fruit, and has more petal color variation, per Trilliums of Georgia (Patrick, 2007).

 

 

WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/14/23):
Trillium erectum   FAMILY Trilliaceae

INCLUDED WITHIN PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Trillium erectum   FAMILY Liliaceae

INCLUDED WITHIN Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Trillium erectum

INCLUDED WITHIN Trilliums of Georgia. Tipularia (Patrick, 2007)
Trillium erectum

INCLUDING Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 26
Trillium erectum var. album

INCLUDING Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 26
Trillium erectum var. erectum

INCLUDED WITHIN Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Trillium erectum

INCLUDED WITHIN VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 041-03-006a:
Trillium erectum var. erectum   FAMILY Liliaceae

INCLUDED WITHIN Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Trillium erectum

 

Find by SCIENTIFIC NAME:

1547

Forb
Perennial

Habitat: Wooded slopes, usually at middle to high elevations, per Weakley's Flora

Native to the Carolinas & Georgia

Common in Mountains, rare in Piedmont

map
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.

LEAVES:
Simple
A single terminal whorl of 3 leaves
Leaves sessile

FLOWER:
Spring/Summer
Maroon, yellow, green, white or various intermediate shades
Pedicel 1-10+cm long
Flowers above the leaves
Radially symmetrical
3 sepals
3 petals
Bisexual

FRUIT:
Summer
Dark maroon, shiny black
Berry

 

TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!



 


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