OF THE CAROLINAS & GEORGIA

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

WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (10/20/20):
Trillium discolor   FAMILY Trilliaceae   Go to FSUS key


SYNONYMOUS WITH PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Trillium discolor   FAMILY Liliaceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 041-03-003:

Trillium discolor   FAMILY Liliaceae

 

COMMON NAME:
Pale Yellow Trillium, Faded Trillium, Small Yellow Toadshade, Savannah River Trillium


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

image of Trillium discolor, Pale Yellow Trillium, Faded Trillium, Small Yellow Toadshade, Savannah River Trillium

JK Marlow    jkm120326_983

March    McCormick County    SC

Stevens Creek Heritage Preserve

The floral fragrance is spicy like cloves, per Trilliums of Georgia (Patrick, 2007).

image of Trillium discolor, Pale Yellow Trillium, Faded Trillium, Small Yellow Toadshade, Savannah River Trillium

JK Marlow    jkm120326_983b

March    McCormick County    SC

Stevens Creek Heritage Preserve

Stamens dark purple, curved inward, per Trilliums of Georgia (Patrick, 2007).

image of Trillium discolor, Pale Yellow Trillium, Faded Trillium, Small Yellow Toadshade, Savannah River Trillium

JK Marlow    jkm120330_229

March    Pickens County    SC

Jocassee Gorges

Lesson: Don't get in the way of a flower ready to bloom!

image of Trillium discolor, Pale Yellow Trillium, Faded Trillium, Small Yellow Toadshade, Savannah River Trillium

JK Marlow    jkm120330_235

March    Pickens County    SC

Jocassee Gorges

image of Trillium discolor, Pale Yellow Trillium, Faded Trillium, Small Yellow Toadshade, Savannah River Trillium

JK Marlow    jkm120330_248

March    Pickens County    SC

Jocassee Gorges

What do you call a two-leaved trillium?

image of Trillium discolor, Pale Yellow Trillium, Faded Trillium, Small Yellow Toadshade, Savannah River Trillium

Bill Sharpton    gws1546_a

April    McCormick County    SC

Stevens Creek Heritage Preserve

Leaves mottled and sometimes almost circular, per Guide to the Wildflowers of SC (Porcher & Rayner, 2001).

image of Trillium discolor, Pale Yellow Trillium, Faded Trillium, Small Yellow Toadshade, Savannah River Trillium

JK Marlow    jkm080421_054

April    Haywood County    NC

Corneille Bryan Native Garden

Petals spoon-shaped, per Guide to the Wildflowers of SC (Porcher & Rayner, 2001).

image of Trillium discolor, Pale Yellow Trillium, Faded Trillium, Small Yellow Toadshade, Savannah River Trillium

JK Marlow    jkm090419_059

April    Pickens County    SC

Keowee Toxaway State Natural Area

Sepals usually 2/3 or less the length of the petals, erect to divergent, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).

image of Trillium discolor, Pale Yellow Trillium, Faded Trillium, Small Yellow Toadshade, Savannah River Trillium

JK Marlow    jkm120415_001

April    Pickens County    SC

Clemson Forest

Petals pale yellow with a greenish or purplish stalklike base, per Guide to the Wildflowers of SC (Porcher & Rayner, 2001).

image of Trillium discolor, Pale Yellow Trillium, Faded Trillium, Small Yellow Toadshade, Savannah River Trillium

JK Marlow    jkm180408_240

April    McCormick County    SC

Stevens Creek Heritage Preserve

image of Trillium discolor, Pale Yellow Trillium, Faded Trillium, Small Yellow Toadshade, Savannah River Trillium

Richard and Teresa Ware    rtw_trillium_discolor_18

April        

image of Trillium discolor, Pale Yellow Trillium, Faded Trillium, Small Yellow Toadshade, Savannah River Trillium

Ben Geer Keys    bgk1546_a

May        

The only sessile-flowered Trillium with clawed spatulate pale yellow petals, per Wildflowers of the Eastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1999).


click here to see other plants that look similar to this COMPARE petal shape in yellow-flowering Trilliums

image of Trillium discolor, Pale Yellow Trillium, Faded Trillium, Small Yellow Toadshade, Savannah River Trillium

JK Marlow    jkm080507_040

May    Greenville County    SC

In cultivation

Stamens dark purple, about twice as long as the pistil, per Wildflowers of the Eastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1999).


click here to see other plants that look similar to this COMPARE stamen color in yellow-flowering Trilliums

image of Trillium discolor, Pale Yellow Trillium, Faded Trillium, Small Yellow Toadshade, Savannah River Trillium

Keith Bradley    kab_t_discolor_73561

May        NC

Nantahala National Forest

image of Trillium discolor, Pale Yellow Trillium, Faded Trillium, Small Yellow Toadshade, Savannah River Trillium

Keith Bradley    kab_t_discolor_73568

May        NC

Nantahala National Forest

 

WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (10/20/20):
Trillium discolor   FAMILY Trilliaceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Trillium discolor   FAMILY Liliaceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 041-03-003:
Trillium discolor   FAMILY Liliaceae

 

Find by SCIENTIFIC NAME:

1546

Forb
Perennial

Habitat: Rich cove and bluff forests, restricted to the Savannah River drainage; rare, per Weakley's Flora

Native to the Carolinas & Georgia

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

Click here to see a map showing all occurrences known to SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria. (Zoom in to see more detail.)

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

FLOWER:
Spring
Pale yellow with maroon or greenish claws
Flowers are sessile.
Bisexual
Radially symmetrical
3 sepals
3 petals

FRUIT:
Summer
Berry

 

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



 


Find by SCIENTIFIC NAME: