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Plant Database

Search for native plants by scientific name, common name or family. If you are not sure what you are looking for, try the Combination Search or our Recommended Species lists.

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Trillium chloropetalum (Giant wakerobin)
Cox, Fran

Trillium chloropetalum

Trillium chloropetalum (Torr.) Howell

Giant Wakerobin, Giant Trillium

Liliaceae (Lily Family)

Synonym(s):

USDA Symbol: TRCH2

USDA Native Status: L48 (N)

Starting with a single stalk, this clump-forming trillium may eventually bear several 12-24 in. stems. Leaves, in whorls of three, are often mottled with dark blotches. Large, showy, solitary, three-parted flowers rise directly out of the leaves. Color varies from red through yellow-green to white.

This trillium is considered "not commercially viable" since it takes as long as 5 years to produce plants of flowering size. One should verify that a nursery offering this plant has indeed propagated it and not dug it from the wild.

 

From the Image Gallery

4 photo(s) available in the Image Gallery

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Herb
Leaf Complexity: Simple
Fruit Type: Berry
Size Notes: Up to about 2 feet tall.
Fruit: Red-purple.

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: White , Red , Pink , Yellow , Green , Purple , Brown
Bloom Time: Feb , Mar , Apr , May , Jun
Bloom Notes: Flower color varies widely.

Distribution

USA: CA , OR , WA
Native Distribution: Pierce Co., WA & Willamette V., OR, s. to the n. Sierras & Coastal Ranges of c. CA
Native Habitat: Moist, brushy or wooded slopes

Growing Conditions

Light Requirement: Part Shade
Soil pH: Acidic (pH<6.8)
Soil Description: Deep, rich, moist, well-drained soils.
Conditions Comments: This trillium is considered "not commercially viable" since it takes as long as 5 years to produce plants of flowering size. One should verify that a nursery offering this plant has indeed propagated it and not dug it from the wild.

Propagation

Description: Rhizome division or seed. Seeds do best when planted outdoors soon after fruits have ripened. Plant seeds 1/4 in. deep in a moist, humusy location. Seedlings take many years to bloom. Divide rhizomes in fall.
Seed Collection: As the 1/2 in. long fruit ripens, the fleshy green oval berry becomes red then purple. Separate the flesh of the mature berry from the egg-shaped seeds and clean them.
Commercially Avail: yes

Mr. Smarty Plants says

Pictures and sources for black trilliums
June 10, 2008
Do you have pictures and/or sources for Black Trilliums?
view the full question and answer

Web Reference

Webref 30 - Calflora (2018) Calflora
Webref 38 - Flora of North America (2019) Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
Webref 23 - Southwest Environmental Information Network (2009) SEINet - Arizona Chapter

From the Archive

Wildflower Newsletter 1987 VOL. 4, NO.1 - One Million Bequest Announced, Lady Bird Johnson On Celebrating Four Years, Spri...

Additional resources

USDA: Find Trillium chloropetalum in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Trillium chloropetalum in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Trillium chloropetalum

Metadata

Record Modified: 2023-02-28
Research By: TWC Staff

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