Large-flowered Trillium (Trillium grandiflorum)

FAMILY: Trilliaceae (Liliaceae; Trillium Family)

FLOWERING PERIOD: April to early May

DESCRIPTION: Robust perennial to 20 inches, whorl of three large sessile leaves at summit of stem. Bright white flowers held conspicuously above leaves, subtended by three green sepals.

DISTRIBUTION: Statewide, in most counties but reaching peak abundance in extensive wooded areas.

HABITAT: Rich woods, typically in association with diverse wildflower assemblages.

NOTES: The petals, sepals, and leaves of Trillium are in threes. Very rarely, four-parted "quadrillium" forms occur. This conspicuous common wildflower became Ohio's state wildflower in 1986. Huge stands of blooming large-flowered trilliums are breathtaking. However, white-tailed deer also like them and gobble trilliums like candy. With age, the flowers turn pink. As with other trilliums, ants are major seed dispersers.