Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Monocots: Liliales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (10/20/20):
Trillium cuneatum
FAMILY
Trilliaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Test-drive A Teaching Key to Trillium.
You may enjoy Trillium in the South by Will Stuart.
Read more: Trillium cuneatum (Little Sweet Betsy), Oconee Station State Historic Site, Oconee County, South Carolina by Jim Fowler.
Learn more about Little Sweet Betsy from the Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Trillium cuneatum
FAMILY
Liliaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 041-03-001a:
Trillium cuneatum var. cuneatum FAMILY Liliaceae
INCLUDING Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Trillium hugeri
COMMON NAME:
Little Sweet Betsy, Purple Toadshade
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
Harry Davis hld1544_a
February-March Oconee County SC
Oconee Station/Station Cove
The flower has no stalk; it is thus referred to as a sessile flower, per Wild Flowers of NC, 1st edition.
JK Marlow jkm090321_043
March Greenville County SC
Chestnut Ridge Heritage Preserve
In general, seeds take 1-2 yrs to produce a mature cotyledon (seed leaf), per Trilliums of Georgia (Patrick, 2007).
JK Marlow jkm110313_893
March Greenville County SC
Chestnut Ridge Heritage Preserve
Ovary purplish, about the same length as stamens and 1/3 that of petals, per Trilliums of Georgia (Patrick, 2007).
JK Marlow jkm110313_893b
March Greenville County SC
Chestnut Ridge Heritage Preserve
Two pollen sacs (the anther) line a band of sterile tissue (the connective), per Trilliums of Georgia (Patrick, 2007).
JK Marlow jkm140322_302
March Oconee County SC
Oconee Station/Station Cove
Ants are the primary seed carriers, often discarding seeds near their nests.
JK Marlow jkm140322_312
March Oconee County SC
Oconee Station/Station Cove
Trillium with four leaves are not terribly uncommon.
Ben Geer Keys bgk1544_b
March?
Petals purple, brown, green or rarely yellow, >2x long as wide, per Wildflowers of the Eastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1999).
JK Marlow jkm0404m_11
April Henderson County NC
Roadside
Leaves mottled with two colors, per Wildflowers of the Eastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1999).
JK Marlow jkm200415_3884
April Greenville County SC
Tall Pines Wildlife Management Area
Ovary and stamens should not be this color, but some plants don't read the keys.
JK Marlow jkm200422_4071
April Greenville County SC
Tall Pines Wildlife Management Area
Wonder what's causing the leaf speckles?
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_t_cuneat_cloudland4_2
April Dade County GA
Cloudland Canyon State Park
Sepals lanceolate, 3-5cm long (2/3-3/4 petal length), erect to divergent, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
Marian StClair msc_3059
August? Greenville County SC
A lipid-rich food body (elaiosome) is attached to the outer seed coat, per Wildflowers & Plant Communities of the Southern Appalachian Mountains and Piedmont (Spira, 2011).
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (10/20/20):
Trillium cuneatum
FAMILY
Trilliaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Trillium cuneatum
FAMILY
Liliaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 041-03-001a:
Trillium cuneatum var. cuneatum
FAMILY
Liliaceae
INCLUDING
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Trillium hugeri