Trillium catesbyi Elliott

Catesby's Trillium; Rosy Wakerobin; Bashful Trillium; Bashful Wakerobin

Herb

Perennial

Vascular

Catesby's Trillium is a native perennial in the Bunchflower family (Melanthiaceae). It occurs primarily in eastern and southern Alabama. Catesby's Trillium grows in rich hardwood forests, mixed pine and hardwood forests, along streams, and in rocky woods. It is a perennial from a slender rhizome. Each rhizome usually produces a single stem topped by three bracts (leaves). Stems are from 6-12 inches in height. The bracts are elliptic-ovate in outline, green or tinted with purple in strong light, glabrous, with entire margins. Mature plants produce a single flower. Catesby's Trillium is a member of the pedicellate group of Trilliums. These Trilliums have flowers on a short stalks (the pedicel). The flowers of Catesby's Trillium are usually nodding below the bracts. Each flower has three recurved green sepals, three recurved white petals, and six bright yellow stamens. The petals become pink or rose colored with age. The fruit is a pulpy capsule with several seed. When mature the seed in brown in color with a white elaiosome. Catesby's Trillium was named in honor of Mark Casteby, author of "Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands”. Catesby's Trillium is often available from wildflower nurseries. Only purchase plants from nurseries who have grown them and not those selling wild collected plants. Catesby's Trillium tolerates drier soil than most Trillium species. It prefers a moist to mesic organic rich soil in partial to full shade. Plants can be naturalized in a woodland or planted in beds under hardwoods.--A. Diamond

Named after English naturalist Mark Catesby (1683-1749) who wrote the first account of the biota of North America entitled: Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands (1729-1747). Elliott originally published the epithet as "Catesbaei" but the Botanical Code provides for correcting names to more closely match a Latinized form of the original spelling. Thus the epithet has been corrected to "catesbyi" (Weakley and Poindexter 2020).

Native

Weakley, A.S., and D.B. Poindexter. 2020. in Weakley, A.S., et al. 2020. Studies in the vascular flora of the southeastern United States. VI. J. Bot. Res. Inst. Texas 14: 199-239.