Trillium flexipes facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Trillium flexipes |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Trillium
|
| Species: |
flexipes
|
| Synonyms | |
|
|
Trillium flexipes, also known as the nodding wakerobin or bent trillium, is a beautiful flowering plant. It belongs to the plant family called Melanthiaceae. You can find this plant growing in many parts of the United States, from states like Minnesota and Ohio all the way down to Tennessee. Sometimes, it grows in smaller, separate groups in places like New York, Pennsylvania, and Alabama. It's important to know that this plant is endangered in Ontario, Canada, and might even be completely gone from North Carolina.
About the Bent Trillium
The bent trillium is a perennial herbaceous plant. This means it's a plant that lives for more than two years. It has soft, green stems instead of woody ones. It spreads using special underground stems called rhizomes. Think of rhizomes like underground roots that help the plant grow new shoots.
What Does It Look Like?
The flowers of the bent trillium are usually white. But sometimes, you might see them in a pretty reddish or maroon color. In colder, northern areas, the flower often hangs down below the leaves. However, in central and southern areas, the flower stands up tall.
The fruit of this plant is rosy red to purplish. It also has a sweet smell, like ripe fruit.
-
Typical flower with white flower petals
-
Variant with red flower petals
How Bent Trillium Mixes with Other Plants
T. flexipes can sometimes mix with other Trillium species. This is called hybridization. For example, it can create new plants by mixing with T. erectum. The bent trillium plants with red petals often grow in places where both T. flexipes and T. erectum are found. Scientists also think it might mix with T. sulcatum.
