Trillium identification

[P. Kohn]

Back in 2005 several species of Trillium were planted in Sheffield Botanic Gardens. A recent 'tidy' of the area in which they were planted revealed four different surviving plants. We have made a stab at identifying three of them but the fourth bears no relation to anything that is recorded as having been planted. Two plants appear to be survivals of the original planting. A sessile species with white flowers we have tentatively identified as Trillium albidum. A second species, also white flowered, and pedicellate is present as two small plants which we think might be Trillium grandiflorum. However, the plants are so small that it suggests that the parent plant has been lost and these are seedlings ?  The third plant is sessile and rather overwhelmed by its neighbours but a good guess might be T. chloropetalum (we thinj=k the leaves are too rounded to be T. kurabayashi. The fourth plant is the total mystery. It is another pedicellate species, again surprisingly small to be a relic of the 2005 planting although the neighbouring rampant Podophyllum peltatum may have swamped normal growth. Flowers are pinky brown. The top two pictures are a recent and an earlier picture of the mystery species. The remaining pictures are what  have been tentatively identified as T.albidum, T. grandiflorum and T. chloropetalum but any suggestions would be much welcomed.

[alanelliott]

I've been working through RBGE's Trillium living collection over the past few weeks. Your T. albidum, and T. grandiflorum ID's seem reasonable. The T. chloropetalum as a tentative again is reasonable see what I looks like next year if its happier.

Your mystery plant looks like a Trillium erectum, sulcatum, simile hybrid thing to me from the colour of the petals, the dark ovary, and the hooded tip to the sepals.
Al

[P. Kohn]

Thanks, Alan.  For labelling purposes, do you think Trillium hybrid would be most appropriate ?  We have no matching accession record but plants bought in have often proved to be mislabelled in the past.

[alanelliott]

Do you have a list of what was meant to be there to narrow down parentage?

But yes Trillium hybrid covers your bases.

[P. Kohn]

Our record keeper is on holiday just now but I will contact her as soon as she is back.

[P. Kohn]

I now have the records of what was originally planted. In the area where we now have T. grandiflorium, T. albidum and the unidentified Trillium only T, grandiflorum and T. erectum are recorded as having been planted so the mystery plant is presumably just an odd form of T. erectum. The most succesful plant - the T.albidum is not recorded as having been planted but we have had many misidentifications among purchased plants.  The bed where the plant which appears to be T. chloropetalum has no recorded Trillium plantings but T. luteum was planted a considerable distance away and I understand that darker-flowered forms exist ? Could this be an alternative identification ?  I need to look again if there are any signs of trilliums in the other three sites where plants were originally placed.

[Carolyn]

I don't know about darker forms of trillium luteum, but I do know that luteum comes into growth and flowers a bit later than chloropetalum.

[alanelliott]

I now have the records of what was originally planted. In the area where we now have T. grandiflorium, T. albidum and the unidentified Trillium only T, grandiflorum and T. erectum are recorded as having been planted so the mystery plant is presumably just an odd form of T. erectum. The most succesful plant - the T.albidum is not recorded as having been planted but we have had many misidentifications among purchased plants.  The bed where the plant which appears to be T. chloropetalum has no recorded Trillium plantings but T. luteum was planted a considerable distance away and I understand that darker-flowered forms exist ? Could this be an alternative identification ?  I need to look again if there are any signs of trilliums in the other three sites where plants were originally placed.

Its most likely a hybrid of T. erectum to look as it does.
I've never heard of dark forms of T. luteum. Historically T. luteum and T. cuneatum, which is maroon, were confused. I doubt that it is T. luteum from the image.

Al

[greenspan]

i guess i found a sure and quite easy method to differentiate between Trillium chloropetalum <-> Trillium kurabayashii. i checked the Trillium key in "the flora of north america" to find remarkable characteristics. according to the key with focus on differences in filaments and ovary, i made a fotocollage to show the differences which should be checked easily by everyone. the legend is in german, but should be understand. the chloropetalum foto was taken of a plant in my garden (wrongly thought to be a kurabayashii), the kurabayashii foto was found in internet. i tried to find a foto of a plant described as taken in the wild in an area where kurabayashii is native (as i remember it was taken in oregon). the kurabayashii foto fits all filament + ovary characteristics from the Trillium key. the main difference is the length of the filament...in chloropetalum the ratio between length of filaments is about the double of the length of the ovary, in kurabayshii the ratio is about equal. the length of the connective (the short appendix after the pollensacs; in kurabayashii absent or very short, in chloropetalum about 1,5 mm) could be a second characteristic as an addition to the main difference of the filament-ovary-ratio.

[Leena]

I'm not sure if this is the right thread or should I post them in plant identification.  Maggi, please move my post if it isn't.

I have two plants which should be T.chloropetalum and one I have bought as T.kurabayashii. Last spring I took photos to compare them and I'm still not sure if my T.kurabayashii is right or not.
The first picture is of my T.chloropetalum, bought from Dryad bulbs. Very nice plant and big petals.
Third and fourth picture are of my T.kurabayashii with narrow petals, bought from Estonia.

[Leena]

This plant is bought as T.chloropetalum giganteum 'Album'.