Texas trillium facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Texas trillium
Conservation status
Imperiled (NatureServe)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Monocots
Order:	Liliales
Family:	Melanthiaceae
Genus:	Trillium
Species:	T. texanum
Binomial name
Trillium texanum Buckley, 1861
Script error: The function "autoWithCaption" does not exist.
Synonyms
Synonymy Trillium pusillum var. texanum (Buckley) Reveal & C.R.Broome

Script error: No such module "Check for conflicting parameters".

The Trillium texanum, often called the Texas trillium or Texas wakerobin, is a special kind of flowering plant. It belongs to the plant family called Melanthiaceae. This plant is found in only a few places. You can see it in eastern Texas, the very southwestern part of Arkansas, and the very northwestern part of Louisiana. It usually grows in wet, forested areas.

Because it grows in such a small area, the Texas trillium is considered an imperiled species. This means it's at risk of disappearing. In Louisiana, it is even more at risk, known as "critically imperiled."

About the Texas Trillium

The Texas trillium is a member of a group of trilliums. These are known for having flowers on a small stalk, called a pedicel. It is a perennial plant. This means it lives for more than two years. It is also an herbaceous plant, which means it has soft stems, not woody ones like a tree.

What It Looks Like

This plant blooms, or flowers, in the spring. You can see its white petals from March to mid-April. The flowers are a beautiful sight in the forest.

Its Discovery

The Texas trillium was first officially described in 1861. A scientist named Samuel Botsford Buckley was the one who first wrote about it. Sometimes, people think of it as a type of Trillium pusillum. They might call it T. pusillum var. texanum or T. pusillum var. pusillum. This shows how closely related these plants are.