Trillium Sessile
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''Trillium sessile'' is a
species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...
of
flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...
in the bunchflower
family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...
Melanthiaceae Melanthiaceae, also called the bunchflower family, is a family (biology), family of flowering plant, flowering herbaceous perennial plants native to the Northern Hemisphere. Along with many other lilioid monocots, early authors considered member ...
. The
specific epithet In Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin gramm ...
''sessile'' means "attached without a distinct stalk", an apparent reference to its stalkless flower. It is commonly known as toadshade (not to be confused with '' Trillium recurvatum'', which is also known by that name) or toad trillium. It is also called sessile trillium or sessile-flowered wake-robin, however it is not the only member of the
genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
with a
sessile Sessility, or sessile, may refer to: * Sessility (motility), organisms which are not able to move about * Sessility (botany), flowers or leaves that grow directly from the stem or peduncle of a plant * Sessility (medicine), tumors and polyps that ...
flower. ''Trillium sessile'' is
endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...
to the eastern half of the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. It has the widest range of any species of sessile-flowered trillium. There are two subpopulations geographically separated by a large gap in central
Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...
where the species is strangely absent. ''Trillium sessile'' was one of three ''Trillium'' species described by the Swedish botanist
Carl Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné,#Blunt, Blunt (2004), p. 171. was a Swedish biologist and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the modern system of naming o ...
in 1753. It is a small
perennial In horticulture, the term perennial ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. It has thus been defined as a plant that lives more than 2 years. The term is also ...
,
herbaceous plant Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition o ...
with three leaves, but unlike other sessile-flowered trilliums, the leaves are often not mottled. It has a single
trimerous Merosity (from the greek "méros," which means "having parts")) refers to the number of component parts in a distinct whorl of a plant structure. The term is most commonly used in the context of a flower where it refers to the number of sepals in a ...
flower with three reddish-purple
petal Petals are modified leaves that form an inner whorl surrounding the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly coloured or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''corol ...
s and six distinctive
stamen The stamen (: stamina or stamens) is a part consisting of the male reproductive organs of a flower. Collectively, the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filament ...
s that aid identification.


Description

''Trillium sessile'' is a
perennial In horticulture, the term perennial ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. It has thus been defined as a plant that lives more than 2 years. The term is also ...
, clump-forming
herbaceous plant Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition o ...
with a thick underground
rhizome In botany and dendrology, a rhizome ( ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and Shoot (botany), shoots from its Node (botany), nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from ...
. Like all trilliums, it has a
whorl A whorl ( or ) is an individual circle, oval, volution or equivalent in a whorled pattern, which consists of a spiral or multiple concentric objects (including circles, ovals and arcs). In nature File:Photograph and axial plane floral diagra ...
of three
bract In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves in size, color, shape or texture. They also lo ...
s (leaves) and a single
trimerous Merosity (from the greek "méros," which means "having parts")) refers to the number of component parts in a distinct whorl of a plant structure. The term is most commonly used in the context of a flower where it refers to the number of sepals in a ...
flower with 3 
sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 Etymology The term ''sepalum'' ...
s, 3 
petal Petals are modified leaves that form an inner whorl surrounding the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly coloured or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''corol ...
s, two whorls of 3 
stamen The stamen (: stamina or stamens) is a part consisting of the male reproductive organs of a flower. Collectively, the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filament ...
s each, and 3 
carpel Gynoecium (; ; : gynoecia) is most commonly used as a collective term for the parts of a flower that produce ovules and ultimately develop into the fruit and seeds. The gynoecium is the innermost whorl of a flower; it consists of (one or more ...
s (fused into a single
ovary The ovary () is a gonad in the female reproductive system that produces ova; when released, an ovum travels through the fallopian tube/ oviduct into the uterus. There is an ovary on the left and the right side of the body. The ovaries are end ...
with 3  stigmas). A single plant has one or two erect scapes (stems) per rhizome, each scape up to tall. The
sessile Sessility, or sessile, may refer to: * Sessility (motility), organisms which are not able to move about * Sessility (botany), flowers or leaves that grow directly from the stem or peduncle of a plant * Sessility (medicine), tumors and polyps that ...
(stalkless) bracts are
elliptic In mathematics, an ellipse is a plane curve surrounding two focal points, such that for all points on the curve, the sum of the two distances to the focal points is a constant. It generalizes a circle, which is the special type of ellipse in ...
, up to long and wide. The bracts may or may not be mottled. The erect, sessile flower nestled in the middle of the three bracts has a spicy, pungent odor. The sepals are mostly green but often streaked with purple along the edges or at the base of each sepal. The average length and width of a sepal is and , respectively. The petals are erect and long-lasting. Although their shape and color are variable, a typical plant will have elliptic, reddish-purple petals. The base of a petal is narrowed and, in some cases, will have a very short claw-like base about long. The average length and width of a petal is and , respectively, just slightly larger than a sepal. The stamens are about half as long as the petals, with the
filament The word filament, which is descended from Latin ''filum'' meaning " thread", is used in English for a variety of thread-like structures, including: Astronomy * Galaxy filament, the largest known cosmic structures in the universe * Solar filament ...
s being less than half the length of the inward-facing
anther The stamen (: stamina or stamens) is a part consisting of the male reproductive organs of a flower. Collectively, the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filament ...
s. The anther connective tissue is prominently prolonged an average of beyond the yellowish-white pollen sacs. The 6-angled ovary is short and squat, topped by three erect, brownish-black stigmas that reach to the top of the anther sacs. The
fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants (angiosperms) that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which angiosperms disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particular have long propaga ...
is ovoid or nearly round with an average height of . The six prominent ridges merge into three near the top of the fruit, one for each stigma (which persist during fruiting). A mature fruit is whitish-green with a light pinkish tint, bearing 15–25 golden yellow seeds.


Identification

The wide range of ''Trillium sessile'' overlaps with numerous other sessile-flowered trilliums, which tends to complicate the identification process. For instance, ''T. sessile'' and '' T. recurvatum'' are common to at least nine U.S. states (Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee). The latter species has distinctive leaves with
petiole Petiole may refer to: *Petiole (botany), the stalk of a leaf, attaching the blade to the stem *Petiole (insect anatomy) In entomology, petiole is the technical term for the narrow waist of some hymenopteran insects, especially ants, bees, and ...
-like leaf bases and strongly recurved sepals, but ''T. sessile'' has neither of these characteristics. ''T. sessile'' and '' T. cuneatum'' are common to four U.S. states (Alabama, Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee) plus other states where the latter has been introduced (such as Maryland, Michigan, and Pennsylvania). Compared to ''T. sessile'', ''T. cuneatum'' has longer petals, shorter stamens, shorter prolonged anther connectives, and shorter stigmas. In general, ''T. sessile'' is a much smaller plant than ''T. cuneatum''. As a species ''T. sessile'' is distinguished by anther connectives prominently prolonged above inward-facing (
introrse Dehiscence is the splitting of a mature plant structure along a built-in line of weakness to release its contents. This is common among fruits, anthers and sporangia. Sometimes this involves the complete detachment of a part. Structures that op ...
) anthers. Its elongated, erect stigmas are usually more than 1.5 times the length of the relatively short, nearly spherical, sharply angled ovary. The bracts are often not mottled, and those that are become less so as the season wears on. Plants of ''T. sessile'' are usually smaller than those of other species but under favorable conditions the plants may be so robust that absolute size will not distinguish them. Relative sizes and proportions are often useful, however: * The scape is roughly three times as long as a bract * The ratio of the average width to the average length of the sepals is 1:3.6 * The ratio of the average width to the average length of the petals is 1:3.65 * The ratio of the average length of the sepals to the average length of the petals is 1:1.16 * The ratio of the average length of the stamens to the average length of the petals is 1:1.7 * The filaments are less than half the length of the anthers * The stigmas are usually 1.5–2 times as long as the ovary In locales where two or more sessile-flowered ''Trillium'' species come in contact, ''T. sessile'' usually flowers earlier.


Taxonomy

''Trillium sessile'' was one of three ''Trillium'' species named and described by the renowned Swedish botanist
Carl Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné,#Blunt, Blunt (2004), p. 171. was a Swedish biologist and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the modern system of naming o ...
in 1753 (the other two being ''
Trillium cernuum ''Trillium cernuum'' is a species of flowering plant in the bunchflower family Melanthiaceae. The specific epithet ''cernuum'' means "drooping, curving forwards, facing downwards", a distinctive habit of its flower. It is commonly called noddi ...
'' and ''
Trillium erectum ''Trillium erectum'', the red trillium, also known as wake robin, purple trillium, bethroot, or stinking benjamin, is a species of flowering plant in the family Melanthiaceae. The plant takes its common name "wake robin" by analogy with the Euro ...
''). In his description, Linnaeus referred to an earlier description and illustration of a
taxon In biology, a taxon (back-formation from ''taxonomy''; : taxa) is a group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms seen by taxonomists to form a unit. Although neither is required, a taxon is usually known by a particular name and ...
published by the English
naturalist Natural history is a domain of inquiry involving organisms, including animals, fungi, and plants, in their natural environment, leaning more towards observational than experimental methods of study. A person who studies natural history is cal ...
Mark Catesby Mark Catesby (24 March 1683 – 23 December 1749) was an English natural history, naturalist who studied the flora and fauna of the New World. Between 1729 and 1747, Catesby published his ''Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama ...
in 1730, but Catesby's illustration was identified as '' Trillium maculatum'' by the American botanist
John Daniel Freeman John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second Ep ...
in 1975. Historically, the name ''Trillium sessile'' has been applied to various trilliums with a stalkless flower, but many of these are now understood to be members of several distinct taxa in subgenus ''Sessilia''. This broad use of the name persisted into the latter half of the twentieth century. For example, the illegitimate name ''Trillium sessile'' var. ''californicum'' has been used to refer to a variety of '' Trillium chloropetalum'', a sessile-flowered species confined to western North America (where ''Trillium sessile'' in the modern sense does not occur). ,
Kew Kew () is a district in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Its population at the 2011 census was 11,436. Kew is the location of the Royal Botanic Gardens ("Kew Gardens"), now a World Heritage Site, which includes Kew Palace. Kew is ...
's
Plants of the World Online Plants of the World Online (POWO) is an online taxonomic database published by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. History Following the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew launched Plants of the World Online i ...
accepts no
infraspecific name In botany, an infraspecific name is the scientific name for any taxon below the rank of species, i.e. an infraspecific taxon or infraspecies. The scientific names of botanical taxa are regulated by the ''International Code of Nomenclature for al ...
s for ''Trillium sessile''. Some authorities recognize the name ''Trillium sessile'' f. ''viridiflorum'' Beyer, a form with yellow-green petals that occurs spontaneously throughout the range of the species. Some populations of ''T. sessile'' exhibit a range of petal color but the formal description of forma ''viridiflorum'' only includes plants with no trace of purple pigment in the petals. Muhlenberg described the yellow-petaled variety ''Trillium sessile'' var. ''luteum'' in 1813, but the taxon was given specific rank ('' Trillium luteum'') by Harbison in 1901. The latter is distinguished from ''T. sessile'' by its larger size, the mottling of its leaves, shorter filaments, the color of its petals, and the character of its stigmas. Apart from this, a clear yellow form of ''T. sessile'' has not been found and named.


Distribution and habitat

''Trillium sessile'' is
endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...
to the eastern half of the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, ranging from
Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...
in the east to the
Ozarks The Ozarks, also known as the Ozark Mountains, Ozark Highlands or Ozark Plateau, is a physiographic region in the U.S. states of Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma, as well as a small area in the southeastern corner of Kansas. The Ozarks cover ...
in the heart of the
Mississippi Basin The Mississippi River is the primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, ...
, and from the southern
Great Lakes region The Great Lakes region of Northern America is a binational Canadian– American region centered on the Great Lakes that includes the U.S. states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin and the Ca ...
to northern
Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...
. The species occurs in more U.S. states than any other sessile-flowered trillium: * East of the Mississippi River: Alabama,
District of Columbia Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...
,
Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...
,
Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...
,
Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...
, Maryland,
Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...
,
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...
,
North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...
,
Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...
,
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...
,
Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...
,
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
,
West Virginia West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...
* West of the Mississippi River:
Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...
,
Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...
,
Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...
,
Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...
It is most abundant in Ohio, Indiana, northern Kentucky, and Missouri, but it is strangely absent from central Illinois. This creates a distributional gap between the eastern and western subpopulations of the species. Plants from the western subpopulation (centered in Missouri) often have scapes (stems) that are taller and
bract In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves in size, color, shape or texture. They also lo ...
s (leaves) that are narrower than plants from the eastern subpopulation. It is not known if this geographical separation was induced by genetic or environmental factors. ''T. sessile'' is found in rich woods, particularly in
limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...
areas and on
calcareous Calcareous () is an adjective meaning "mostly or partly composed of calcium carbonate", in other words, containing lime (mineral), lime or being chalky. The term is used in a wide variety of Science, scientific disciplines. In zoology ''Calcare ...
soils. It is also found on
alluvial Alluvium (, ) is loose clay, silt, sand, or gravel that has been deposited by running water in a stream bed, on a floodplain, in an alluvial fan or beach, or in similar settings. Alluvium is also sometimes called alluvial deposit. Alluvium is ...
floodplain A floodplain or flood plain or bottomlands is an area of land adjacent to a river. Floodplains stretch from the banks of a river channel to the base of the enclosing valley, and experience flooding during periods of high Discharge (hydrolog ...
s and riverbanks, and occasionally on less fertile soils. It grows with other ''
Trillium ''Trillium'' (trillium, wakerobin, toadshade, tri flower, birthroot, birthwort, and sometimes "wood lily") is a genus of about fifty flowering plant species in the family Melanthiaceae. ''Trillium'' species are native to temperate regions of No ...
'' species (depending on location), bleeding-hearts (''
Dicentra ''Dicentra'' (Ancient Greek, Greek ''dís'' "twice", ''kéntron'' "spur"), known collectively as the bleeding-hearts, is a genus containing eight species of herbaceous plant, herbaceous Flowering plant, flowering perennial plants with unique, "he ...
'' spp.), '' Hepatica'' spp., Virginia bluebells (''
Mertensia virginica ''Mertensia virginica'' (common names Virginia bluebells, Virginia cowslip, lungwort oysterleaf, Roanoke bells) is a spring ephemeral plant in the Boraginaceae (borage) family with bell-shaped sky-blue flowers, native to eastern North America. D ...
''), mayapple (''
Podophyllum peltatum ''Podophyllum peltatum'' is a North American herbaceous perennial plant in the family Berberidaceae. Its common names are mayapple, American mandrake, wild mandrake, and ground lemon. Description Mayapples are woodland plants, typically growin ...
''), woods-poppy (''
Stylophorum diphyllum ''Stylophorum diphyllum'', commonly called the celandine poppy or wood poppy, is an herbaceous plant in the poppy family (Papaveraceae). It is native to North America, where it is found in the eastern United States and Ontario. Its typical natur ...
''), and violets (''
Viola The viola ( , () ) is a string instrument of the violin family, and is usually bowed when played. Violas are slightly larger than violins, and have a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of the ...
'' spp.). It can withstand substantial disturbance and habitat degradation, persisting under light pasturing, along fence rows, and in brushy areas after lumbering. , ''T. sessile'' is globally secure but it is vulnerable (or worse) in eight U.S. states. In particular, it is critically imperiled in the District of Columbia, New York, North Carolina, and Oklahoma.


Ecology

''Trillium sessile'' flowers in April in most areas. In the southern part of its range it flowers as early as late March, while its northernmost populations may not flower until mid-May. In Tennessee, fruits were observed to ripen and drop off between June 20 and July 5. The above ground parts of the plant die back by mid-summer but may persist longer in areas that do not completely dry out. The foul smelling flowers attract its primary
pollinator A pollinator is an animal that moves pollen from the male anther of a flower to the female carpel, stigma of a flower. This helps to bring about fertilization of the ovules in the flower by the male gametes from the pollen grains. Insects are ...
s,
flies Flies are insects of the Order (biology), order Diptera, the name being derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek δι- ''di-'' "two", and πτερόν ''pteron'' "wing". Insects of this order use only a single pair of wings to fly, the hindwin ...
and
beetle Beetles are insects that form the Taxonomic rank, order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Holometabola. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 40 ...
s. In general, ''Trillium'' species are myrmecochorous, that is,
ant Ants are Eusociality, eusocial insects of the Family (biology), family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the Taxonomy (biology), order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from Vespoidea, vespoid wasp ancestors in the Cre ...
s facilitate
seed dispersal In spermatophyte plants, seed dispersal is the movement, spread or transport of seeds away from the parent plant. Plants have limited mobility and rely upon a variety of dispersal vectors to transport their seeds, including both abiotic vectors, ...
in most (if not all) species. Since the seeds of ''T. sessile'' have attached
elaiosome Elaiosomes ( ''élaion'' "oil" + ''sóma'' "body") are fleshy structures that are attached to the seeds of many plant species. The elaiosome is rich in lipids and proteins, and may be variously shaped. Many plants have elaiosomes that attract ...
s, presumably its seeds are dispersed by ants as well.


Uses

Although some accounts indicate that the cooked greens of this plant may be edible as an emergency food, the entire plant, and especially the root, is known to induce vomiting. The
fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants (angiosperms) that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which angiosperms disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particular have long propaga ...
is considered a suspected
poison A poison is any chemical substance that is harmful or lethal to living organisms. The term is used in a wide range of scientific fields and industries, where it is often specifically defined. It may also be applied colloquially or figurati ...
. ''Trillium sessile'' has been used medicinally to treat
tumor A neoplasm () is a type of abnormal and excessive growth of tissue. The process that occurs to form or produce a neoplasm is called neoplasia. The growth of a neoplasm is uncoordinated with that of the normal surrounding tissue, and persists ...
s. It is sometimes cited as having been used as a poultice for boils and as a panacea-like decoction, but this claim is doubtful since it is attributed to Native American tribes (the Yuki and the
Wailaki The Eel River Athapaskans include the Wailaki, Lassik, Nongatl, and Sinkyone (Sinkine) groups of Native Americans that traditionally live in present-day Mendocino, Trinity, and Humboldt counties on or near the Eel River and Van Duzen River o ...
) of
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
, where this plant is not known to occur. ''Trillium sessile'' is sometimes grown in woodland
wildflower garden Natural landscaping, also called native gardening, is the use of native plants including trees, shrubs, groundcover, and grasses which are local to the geographic area of the garden. Benefits Maintenance Natural landscaping is adapted to the ...
s. Like many trilliums, it often does not transplant successfully from the wild.


Gallery


References


Bibliography

* * * * *


External links

* * * * {{Taxonbar, from=Q3005858
sessile Sessility, or sessile, may refer to: * Sessility (motility), organisms which are not able to move about * Sessility (botany), flowers or leaves that grow directly from the stem or peduncle of a plant * Sessility (medicine), tumors and polyps that ...
Endemic flora of the United States Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus