Trillium decipiens

Deceiving Trillium
Normal color Trillium decipiens, Jackson Co. FL
Conservation status
Vulnerable (NatureServe)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Monocots
Order:	Liliales
Family:	Melanthiaceae
Genus:	Trillium
Species:	T. decipiens
Binomial name
Trillium decipiens

Yellow variant of Trillium decipiens, Jackson Co. FL

Trillium decipiens, also known as Deceiving Trillium, is a spring-flowering perennial plant. It occurs mostly near the Chattahoochee River in Alabama, Florida and Georgia. Scattered populations are found elsewhere in these three states, all within the Atlantic Coastal Plain or Gulf Coastal Plain. Rich deciduous woods of bluffs, ravines, and alluvial land provide its most favored habitat.

Its stemless flower has three purple, brown or green (rarely yellow) petals which stand upright at the junction of the three strikingly mottled leaves. It is one of the earliest trilliums, often starting to bloom in January or February.

References

• Case, Frederick W. and Case, Roberta B. (1997) Trilliums. ISBN 0-88192-374-5