Trillium discolor

Georgia is home to at least 22 species of Trillium; more are still being identified so the count is likely to increase. I provided a brief overview of them in an earlier post, but this blog features a very special trillium that I was fortunate to see in the wild recently. On the third day of the Georgia Botanical Society’s Spring Pilgrimage, a vicious line of storms threatened all our regular plans. Georgia’s premier authority on trilliums was our trip leader so he changed our plans on the fly and we went to Toccoa to see Trillium discolor (a plan which was entirely doable in the brief amount of time before the storms hit).

Trillium discolor, often called pale yellow trillium, is a species that is only found in the upper drainage basin of the Savannah River, an area which includes portions of Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. It is a species of special concern, threatened by habitat loss, deer browsing, and invasive plants like Japanese honeysuckle (a plant which was on site).

The species epithet ‘discolor’ has always puzzled me; you might remember another plant with that designation: cranefly orchid (Tipularia discolor). According to information on the Internet, the term means having various or different colors. While the petal color is pale, apparently sometimes they are maroon or green at the base, hence the multiple colors.

Trillium discolor

This one should not be confused with yellow trillium (Trillium luteum) which has a much larger range, a more intense yellow color, and a very nice fragrance. Tom Patrick told us that this species might have a spicy, clove-like fragrance and we all obligingly got down on our knees to give it a sniff. While clearly there was not the nice fragrance of T. luteum, we really could not identify anything specific (several of us wondering if the definition of ‘clove-like’ was different than our own!). The shape of the petals is also different, with T. discolor petals being described as spatulate, which means broader at the tip than the base.

Trillium discolor population

It was beautiful to see this special trillium in its natural habitat. Several patches were so abundant, it appeared as if hundreds of low candles were lit. The special locations of this plant serve as a reminder that some species can be wiped out just by not understanding their link to local conditions. Luckily many of these populations are in Chattahoochee National Forest land and might be able to be protected.