Three Similar Toadshades in SE USA
Trillium decipiens, T. reliquum , and T. underwoodii form a group of three closely related species. Here are my notes for distinguishing them from one another, taken from the monograph where the other two were first segregated from a broader concept of T. underwoodii.
| T. decipiens | T. underwoodii | T. reliquum | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
stalk (scape) carriage |
erect | erect | decumbent* |
| stalk : leaf length ratio |
2.5 - 3.0 tall-appearing, leaf tips don't touch ground |
1.0 - 2.5 short-appearing, leaf tips often touch ground |
1.6 - 2.0 short-appearing, leaf surfaces at or near ground level |
|
sepal carriage at flowering |
divergent-spreading | horizontal, or curving back down to touch leaves |
variable |
| length : width ratio | 3.0 - 3.5 | 3.5 - 4.0 | 3.5 - 4.0 |
|
petal shape |
broadly oblanceolate - obovate | narrowly oblanceolate to narrowly elliptic | usually narrowly elliptic, but variable |
| length : width ratio | 2 - 3 | 3.5 - 5 | 3.5 - 4 occasionally broader |
| color | highly variable, from green to yellow-purple to brown-purple |
brown-purple (rarely yellowish) |
brown-purple bronze (rarely yellowish) |
| anther sac dehiscence | lateral | lateral | introrse |
|
stamen : carpel height ratio |
≈ 1.5 | ≈ 1.5 | ≥ 2 |
| leaf shape | lanceolate (straight line from widest point to apex) |
lanceolate (straight line from widest point to apex) |
broadly elliptic (convex curve from widest point to apex) |
*not nearly as decumbent as Trillium decumbens. In the T. reliquum population I visited, the stalk (scape) will sometimes only hint at 'laxness' with a slight 'S' bend, but at least some plants in a given population should have scapes that grow initially along the ground.
Observations
Photos / Sounds
What
Relict Trillium (Trillium reliquum)Observer
ddennismDescription
50-200 individuals
Edgefield County location #2
possibly a new record?
At a site in danger of immediate development (!!)
Photos / Sounds
What
Relict Trillium (Trillium reliquum)Observer
ddennismDescription
Many individuals
(known population)
Aiken County
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