February 20th, 2013. After
finding the Trillium cuneatum at the Broad River Wildlife Management Area, we stopped
by the Scull Shoals Experimental Forest in Greene County, Georgia, to see if
the these were coming up there. This location
is a little higher (460 ft above sea level) compared with the Broad River WMA
site (425 ft above sea level) although it is affected more by the weather
fronts coming from the Artic than the Broad River WMA site.
At this location, a
cluster of trilliums grows on the west side of a tree in a sheltered location.
Others grow in the open beside the road.
We didn’t see any obvious sign of plants in the open and wandered over
to the tree.
Trillium cuneatum is known by the
common names Little Sweet Betsy, Purple Toadshade, Whippoorwill
Flower, and Large
Toadshade. It is stalked, had mottled leaves and erect
flowers that are purple to brown. The anthers and stamen are a characteristic
maroon and gold. This species is found in the eastern United States from
Pennsylvania and Illinois south and southeast to Georgia, Alabama and
Mississippi. In Georgia, they are found more frequently in counties in north
Georgia and in other areas in the state.
It wasn’t surprising that only a few
trilliums had emerged in this location. The plants
at the base of this tree were not only
protected from the cold but were bathed with warm sunshine in the afternoon,
making this a slightly warmer location than the open areas where the other
trilliums grow. It won’t be long, however, before the other plants also emerge
to bloom again.
Click
on an image to view a larger image
Identification
resources:
- Southeastern Flora: Trillium cuneatum (Little Sweet Betsy)
- Native
and Naturalized Plants of the Carolinas and Georgia: Trillium cuneatum (Little Sweet Betsy, Purple Toadshade, Whippoorwill Flower)
Distribution:
USDA Plants Database: Trillium cuneatum (Little Sweet Betsy)
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