''Trillium texanum'', the Texas trillium or Texas wakerobin, is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. They include all forbs (flowering plants without a woody stem), grasses and grass-like plants, a vast majority of ...

in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Melanthiaceae Melanthiaceae, also called the bunchflower family, is a family of flowering herbaceous perennial plants native to the Northern Hemisphere. Along with many other lilioid monocots, early authors considered members of this family to belong to ...

. It is found in east

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

, extreme southwestern

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the ...

, and extreme northwestern

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a U.S. state, state in the Deep South and South Central United States, South Central regions of the United States. It is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 20th-smal ...

. Due to its limited range, it is designated as a vulnerable species.

Description

''Trillium texanum'' is a

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

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 ...

that flowers from March to early mid-April, with white flower petals.

Taxonomy

''Trillium texanum'' was first described by

Samuel Botsford Buckley Samuel Botsford Buckley (May 9, 1809 – February 18, 1884) was an American botanist, geologist, and naturalist. He graduated from Wesleyan University in 1836. Buckley investigated the botany of the southern United States and discovered many new s ...

in 1861. Its

type specimen In biology, a type is a particular specimen (or in some cases a group of specimens) of an organism to which the scientific name of that organism is formally attached. In other words, a type is an example that serves to anchor or centralizes the ...

was collected in

Panola County, Texas Panola County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 22,491. The county seat is Carthage. Located in East Texas and originally developed for cotton plantations, the county's name is derived fr ...

, but that specimen is now lost. The

specific epithet In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

''texanum'' refers to the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

, its primary location. , the name ''Trillium texanum'' is widely recognized, but a few authorities regard it as a variety of ''

Trillium pusillum ''Trillium pusillum'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Melanthiaceae known by the common names dwarf trillium, least trillium and dwarf wakerobin. It is native to the southeastern and south-central United States from Oklahoma to M ...

'', either ''T. pusillum'' var. ''texanum'' or ''T. pusillum'' var. ''pusillum''. The taxon is a member of the Catesbaei group ( ''Trillium'' subgen. ''Delostylis''), a group of pedicellate-flowered trilliums that includes ''Trillium catesbaei''.

Distribution and habitat

''Trillium texanum'' is found primarily in east

, hence the common name Texas trillium. It also occurs in extreme southwestern

and extreme northwestern

. It typically grows in forested wetland habitat.

Conservation

, the global conservation status of ''Trillium texanum'' is listed as vulnerable by both NatureServe and IUCN. It is critically imperiled in both Arkansas and Louisiana. It is under review by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

References

Bibliography

* *

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q21307440 texanum Endemic flora of the United States Flora of Texas Plants described in 1861 Taxa named by Samuel Botsford Buckley