Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Monocots: Liliales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/14/23):
Trillium vaseyi
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.
Learn more about Trillium from the Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
Perhaps the largest trillium species, with the stems to 7 dm tall, per Weakley's Flora (2023).
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Trillium vaseyi
FAMILY
Liliaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Trillium vaseyi
SYNONYMOUS WITH Trilliums of Georgia. Tipularia (Patrick, 2007)
Trillium vaseyi
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 26 (2002)
Trillium vaseyi
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Trillium vaseyi
INCLUDED WITHIN VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 041-03-006b:
Trillium erectum var. vaseyi FAMILY Liliaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Trillium vaseyi
COMMON NAME:
Vasey's Trillium, Sweet Trillium, Sweet Beth
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
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Alan Cressler alc_5694507857_9b36dcb4ce
April Fannin County GA
Chattahoochee National Forest
The largest flower of all Trillium species, often nearly 4" in diameter, per Great Smoky Mountains Wildflowers (Campbell, Hutson, Sharp, & Hutson, 1962).
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Jim Fanning jcf_tvaseyi2
April Pickens County SC
SC Botanical Garden
Stamens with yellow to maroon anthers, much longer than purple-black ovary, per Wildflowers of Tennessee (Carman, 2005).
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JK Marlow jkm100422_055
April Pickens County SC
Laurel Fork Heritage Preserve
Flower on a long stalk, horizontal or declined below the leaves, per Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 1st ed. (Porcher & Rayner, 2001).
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JK Marlow jkm100422_061
April Pickens County SC
Laurel Fork Heritage Preserve
)
JK Marlow jkm130420_468
April Transylvania County NC
Foothills Trail
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Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_t_vaseyi_vaseys_trill
April
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Tim Spira tpstvaseyi_flw1
April
The flower is just opening - sepals still developing and petals still recurving.
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JK Marlow jkm0305c_15
May Greenville County SC
Jones Gap State Park
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JK Marlow jkm0305d_13a
May Greenville County SC
Jones Gap State Park
Leaves solid green, rhombic, 4-8" long & wide, with a tapering base, per Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians (Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly, & Duhl, 2005).
)
JK Marlow jkm060508_107
May Macon County NC
Nantahala National Forest: Wayah Ranger District
Nodding flowers with broadly ovate petals and long exserted stamens, per Trilliums of Georgia (Patrick, 2007).
)
JK Marlow jkm060508_110
May Macon County NC
Nantahala National Forest: Wayah Ranger District
)
JK Marlow jkm160502_074
May Macon County NC
Petals strongly overlapping, usually maroon (rarely white or whitish), per Weakley's Flora (2015).
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Keith Bradley kab_trillium_vaseyi_73597
May NC
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_t_vaseyi_vasey_9
May
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Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_trillium_vaseyi_2
May
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/14/23):
Trillium vaseyi
FAMILY
Trilliaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Trillium vaseyi
FAMILY
Liliaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Trillium vaseyi
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Trilliums of Georgia. Tipularia (Patrick, 2007)
Trillium vaseyi
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 26
Trillium vaseyi
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Trillium vaseyi
INCLUDED WITHIN
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 041-03-006b:
Trillium erectum var. vaseyi
FAMILY
Liliaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Trillium vaseyi
1559
Forb
Perennial
Habitat: cove forests, other rich forests, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Uncommon (rare in Coastal Plain), endemic to Southern Appalachians
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 to subsessile
FLOWER:
Spring/Summer
Maroon or white
Pedicel 3-13cm long
Flowers below the leaves
Radially symmetrical
3 sepals
3 petals
Bisexual
FRUIT:
Summer
Dark reddish-maroon
Berry
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Great Smoky Mountains Wildflowers (Campbell, Hutson, Sharp, & Hutson, 1962) p058
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 1st ed. (Porcher & Rayner, 2001) p128
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 2nd ed. (McMillan, Porcher, Rayner, & White; 2022) p136
- Newcomb's Wildflower Guide (Newcomb, 1977) p124?
- Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast (Cotterman, Waitt, & Weakley, 2019) p351
- Wildflowers of the Eastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1999) p169
- Wild Flowers of NC, 2nd edition (Justice, Bell, & Lindsey, 2005) p020
- Field Guide to the Wildflowers of Georgia (Chafin, 2016) p425
- Wildflowers of Tennessee (Carman, 2005) p380
- Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians (Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly, & Duhl, 2005) p433
- Wildflowers & Plant Communities of the Southern Appalachian Mountains and Piedmont (Spira, 2011) p460
- Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998) p016
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