Trillium foetidissimum

Fetid Trillium
Conservation status
Apparently Secure (NatureServe)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Monocots
Order:	Liliales
Family:	Melanthiaceae
Genus:	Trillium
Species:	T. foetidissimum
Binomial name
Trillium foetidissimum J.D. Freeman

Trillium foetidissimum, common names: Fetid Trillium or Mississippi River Wakerobin, is a perennial wildflower which blooms from early March to early April. The flower is sessile, of a maroon color fading to brown with narrow lanceolate petals. It emits a smell of rotting meat to attract insect pollinators, hence the name. Its leaves are strongly mottled. The flower turns to a purple-brown berry in autumn.

T. foetidissimum is found along the Louisiana–Mississippi border in a variety of habitats.

References

• Frett, Jeanne (2007). Trilliums at Mt. Cuba Center: A Visitor's Guide. Mt. Cuba Center Inc. ISBN 0-9770848-1-7.