Spring in the Ozarks brings a variety of beautiful wild flowers known as trilliums. The genus Trillium has 48 known species, and all but six of those species are native to North America.
Four of these trilliums are native to Missouri and grow in the Ozarks.
Trilliums are commonly called wakerobins because they begin to bloom about the same time robins migrate back to their spring and summer habitats.
Trilliums grow before deciduous trees leaf out and bloom, and they thrive in rich wooded areas — river bottomlands and ravines. Trilliums are ephemeral, which means after they are done blooming, the entire plant fades away into dormancy. It will return again the following spring.
All trilliums grow from underground rhizomes. At maturity, a rhizome clump of trilliums can reach two feet in diameter. Trilliums are prized as a woodland groundcover that blooms in the spring.
The mature trillium will range in height from five to 24 inches. Blossoms are white, pink, maroon and yellow, and will be upright to nodding.
Each trillium blossom will have three outer sepals and three inner petals.
The trillium genus is divided into two subgenera: Pedicellate trilliums and sessile trilliums.
Pedicellate trilliums have flowers that on are on stalk that emerges from a whorl of three leaves. Sessile trilliums do not have flower stalks; the flowers appear to sit on top of the leaves.
Trilliums in the garden should be planted in dappled shade; they will not survive for many years in full shade. They need sunlight to flower.
Humus-rich, well-drained, neutral soil is best. During the growing season, trilliums need regular moisture, but after dormancy, they do not require a lot of water.
Deer will eat trilliums, so they should be protected from any animal grazing. The rhizome draws nutrients for the upcoming year from the stem of the plant, so it should not be removed.
A very nice native trillium for the garden is T. viride, also known as wood trillium. This version reaches about 16 inches in height and has yellow flowers and green leaves with white spots.
Other notable trilliums include T. cernuum, T. chloropetalum, T. sulcatum and T. vaseyi. While all trilliums in the wild should be enjoyed, they should not be removed from their native habitat.
Some sources for cultivated trilliums available to plant in your garden are Munchkin Nursery and Gardens in Depauw, Ind., www.munchkinnursery.com or Native Plant Nursery and Gardens in Salem, Ore., www.nwplants.com.
Even if you don’t have a woodland garden in which to plant trilliums, there are many wooded river bottoms with easy access in the Ozarks for you to enjoy trilliums in their native habitat.
Joleen is an University of Missouri master gardener. For questions or comments related to gardening, contact her at missourigardener@hotmail.com