Giant White Trillium
Trillium albidum, 2"x5" band pot
Description: Giant white trillium, sometimes called giant white wakerobin is a common sight in shaded forests of Oregon and California during the early spring. Usually found growing in dappled light, on nutrient rich slopes, Trillium albidum appears elegant in low growing clumps of large green leaf-like bracts, and brilliant white flowers. A low growing herbaceous perennial rising from a rhizome that resembles a bee abdomen. An aerial view of an individual plant resembles a triangle with the white flower in the center. The slightly mottled leafy bracts directly subtend the sessile white three petaled flower, this is a good indicator of telling T. albidum apart from T. ovatum, whose flower rises above the leafy bracts
Ecology: found growing in open areas, and dense forests on nutrient rich slopes in Oregon and California, from 300-600 ft (100-200 m)
Growing Conditions: dappled light, in moist nutrient rich soil.
Trillium is a very long-lived genus, with some species known to live for multiple decades. In the wild most trillium species take 7-10 years to produce flowers from seed. Many species are endangered/protected, which could be related to the length of time it takes the plant to reproduce sexually, because of this some states make picking trillium flowers illegal. Trillium seed is mainly dispersed by ants who transport the seeds to their home in order to consume part of the seed coat.
