Home/Species/ Yellow Trillium

Trillium luteum

(Muhl.) Harbison

Yellow Trillium

G4Apparently Secure Found in 9 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →

G4Apparently SecureGlobal Rank

Least concernIUCN

LowThreat Impact

Identity

Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.144095

Element CodePMLIL200J0

Record TypeSPECIES

ClassificationSpecies

Classification StatusStandard

Name CategoryVascular Plant

IUCNLeast concern

Endemicendemic to a single nation

KingdomPlantae

PhylumAnthophyta

ClassMonocotyledoneae

OrderLiliales

FamilyMelanthiaceae

GenusTrillium

Other Common Names

Trille jaune (FR) Yellow Wakerobin (EN) yellow wakerobin (EN)

Concept Reference

Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.

Taxonomic Comments

Flora of North America (2002a) notes that Trillium luteum has previously been considered as a form of T. cuneatum and sometimes confused with T. viride. In some areas, hybrids between T. luteum and T. cuneatum form that cannot be placed in either species. Most botanical work prior to Freeman's publication in 1975 cannot be used reliably for distribution information on T. luteum.

Conservation Status

Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2

Review Date2019-10-18

Change Date1994-11-03

Edition Date2019-10-18

Edition AuthorsMorse, L., rev. Frances (2019).

Threat ImpactLow

Range Extent20,000-200,000 square km (about 8000-80,000 square miles)

Number of Occurrences81 - 300

Rank Reasons

Trillium luteum is locally abundant in Tennessee, with its range extending into Georgia, North Carolina, and Kentucky. It occurs in habitat affected by habitat fragmentation, over-browsing by deer, and invasive species.

Range Extent Comments

Trillium luteum is abundant in Tennessee, with its native distribution extending to Georgia, North Carolina, and Kentucky (Flora of North America). It has escaped and become established in Michigan and Ontario, and is also considered not native to Virginia, Maryland, and possibly other states. It does not occur, at least as a naturally occurring taxon, in Missouri, Arkansas, or South Carolina. Reports from Alabama need to be investigated to distinguish them from yellow flowered T. cuneatum (NatureServe central database 2019).

Occurrences Comments

Although the number of occurrences is unknown, there are likely to be more than 80 based on the local abundance, county distribution, and number of herbarium specimens.

Threat Impact Comments

Trillium luteum occurs in habitats threatened by land-use conversion, habitat fragmentation, and forest management practices (Southern Appalachian Species Viability Project 2002). Invasive plant species, particularly Lonicera mackii, are a threat. However, populations seem to be recover well after disturbance, including roadside mowing and fire. It is widely available in the nursery trade but most plants in the trade are cultivated rather than wild collected.

Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Trillium luteum occurs on calcareous substrates in a variety of forested habitats including rich mature forests, deciduous forests, open woods, clearings, old fields, and rocky stream banks and flats (Flora of North America 2002a).

Reproduction

Trillium seeds have an elaiosome, an oily, lipid-rich attachment that is highly attractive to ants. The ants carry the seeds to their nest, eat the attachment, and leave the seeds in tunnels in their nests (FNA 2002a, Leege et al. 2010). The seeds later germinate en masse (Case and Case 1997). Yellow jackets (Vespula spp.) and other wasps are similarly attracted to the elaiosome. Yellow jackets are documented seed dispersers for three species (T. catesbaei, T. cuneatum, T. undulatum) (Zettler et al. 2001). Ants carry the seeds an average of about 1m whereas yellow jackets disperse seeds an average of 1.4m (Chafin 2010, Zettler et al. 2001). Long distance dispersers include mammals, such as white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and woodchucks (Marmota monax) (Chafin 2010, Vellend et al. 2006). Similarly, it is suspected that elk (Cervus canadensis) and mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) of the western U.S.A. are capable of dispersing seeds over long distances (Bartuszevige and Endress 2008).

All Trillium have rhizomes but the frequency of asexually reproduction varies (Chauhan et al. 2019, FNA 2002a, Ohara 1989).

Trillium seeds exhibit a somewhat unique kind of dormancy called deep simple double morphophysiological dormancy, meaning they require two winters and one summer to complete dormancy break. After dispersal, roots (radicles) emerge in the first spring and leaves (epicotyls) begin growing in the second spring. The result is that Trillium seeds are generally about 1.5-2 years before they are non-dormant. If root emergence does not occur during the first spring, the next opportunity for root emergence would be the third spring and epicotyl emergence would occur during the fourth spring after dispersal (Walck et al. 2005). Age to maturity, or flowering, is variable and has been recorded from 4 to 20 years depending on growing conditions (Case and Case 1997).

Terrestrial Habitats

Forest/WoodlandForest - HardwoodForest - MixedForest EdgeWoodland - HardwoodOld field

Palustrine Habitats

FORESTED WETLANDRiparian

Other Nations (2)

CanadaNNA

Province	Rank	Native
Ontario	SNA	No

United StatesN4

Province	Rank	Native
North Carolina	S2	Yes
Tennessee	S2	Yes
Kentucky	S4	Yes
Georgia	S3	Yes
Virginia	SNA	No
Michigan	SNA	No
South Carolina	SNR	Yes

Threat Assessments

Threat	Scope	Severity	Timing
1 - Residential & commercial development	Restricted (11-30%)	Unknown	Unknown
1.1 - Housing & urban areas	Restricted (11-30%)	Unknown	Unknown
1.2 - Commercial & industrial areas	Restricted (11-30%)	Unknown	Unknown
1.3 - Tourism & recreation areas	Restricted (11-30%)	Unknown	Unknown
8 - Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseases	Pervasive - large	Slight or 1-10% pop. decline	High (continuing)
8.1 - Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases	Large - restricted	Slight or 1-10% pop. decline	High (continuing)
8.1.1 - Unspecified species	Large - restricted	Slight or 1-10% pop. decline	High (continuing)
8.2 - Problematic native species/diseases	Pervasive - large	Slight or 1-10% pop. decline	High (continuing)
8.2.2 - Named species	Pervasive - large	Slight or 1-10% pop. decline	High (continuing)

Plant Characteristics

DurationPERENNIAL, Long-lived

Economic Value (Genus)Yes

Roadless Areas (9)

Georgia (4)

Area	Forest	Acres
Helton Creek	Chattahoochee National Forest	2,348
Kelly Ridge	Chattahoochee National Forest	8,325
Pink Knob	Chattahoochee National Forest	12,127
Tripp Branch	Chattahoochee National Forest	615

North Carolina (3)

Area	Forest	Acres
Bald Mountain	Pisgah National Forest	11,085
Cheoah Bald	Nantahala National Forest	7,795
Yellowhammer Branch (add.)	Nantahala National Forest	1,255

South Carolina (1)

Area	Forest	Acres
Bee Cove	Sumter National Forest	3,025

Tennessee (1)

Area	Forest	Acres
Devil's Backbone	Cherokee National Forest	4,287

References (18)

Bartuszevige, A.M., and B.A. Endress. 2008. Do ungulates facilitate native and exotic plant spread? Seed dispersal by cattle, elk and deer in northeastern Oregon. Journal of Arid Environments 72: 904-913.
Case, F.W. and R.B. Case. 1997. Trilliums. Timber Press, Portland Oregon.
Chafin, L. G. 2010d. Species account for Trillium persistens for Georgia Department of Natural Resources. Online. Available: georgiawildlife.com/sites/default/files/uploads/wildlife/nongame/pdf/accounts/plants/trillium_persistens.pdf.
Chauhan, H., A. Bisht, I. Bhatt, A. Bhatt, and D. Gallacher. 2019. Trillium - toward sustainable utilization of a biologically distinct genus valued for traditional medicine. The Botanical Review 85(3): 252-272.
Fernald, M.L., and A.C. Kinsey. 1943. Edible Wild Plants of Eastern North America. Idlewild Press, Cornwall-on-Hudson, NY. xiv+452 pp.
Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2002a. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 26. Magnoliophyta: Liliidae: Liliales and Orchidales. Oxford Univ. Press, New York. xxvi + 723 pp.
Jenkins, M., and C. R. Webster. 2019. Age structure and recruitment of Trillium luteum (Trilliaceae) populations in secondary forests of the southern Appalachian Mountains1. The Journal of the Torrey Botanical Society 146(4): 239-251.
Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
Klest, S.M. 2002. Propagation Protocol for Western Trilliums. Native Plants Journal 3(1):22-23.
Leege, L. M., J. S. Thompson, D.J. Parris. 2010. The Responses of Rare and Common Trilliums (Trillium reliquum, T. cuneatum, and T. maculatum) to Deer Herbivory and Invasive Honeysuckle Removal. Castanea 75(4): 433-443.
Lewis, Walter H., and Memory P.F. Elvin-Lewis. 1977. Medical Botany: Plants Affecting Man's Health. John Wiley and Sons, New York, New York. 515 p.
Ohara, M. 1989. Life history evolution in the genus Trillium. Plant Species Biology 4:1-28.
Rahman, S., M. Ismail, M. Khurram, I. Ullah, F. Rabbi, and M. Iriti. 2017. Bioactive steroids and saponins of the genus Trillium. Molecules 22(12): 2156.
Southern Appalachian Species Viability Project. 2002. A partnership between the U.S. Forest Service-Region 8, Natural Heritage Programs in the Southeast, NatureServe, and independent scientists to develop and review data on 1300+ regionally and locally rare species in the Southern Appalachian and Alabama region. Database (Access 97) provided to the U.S. Forest Service by NatureServe, Durham, North Carolina.
Trillium workshop group. 2019. , L. L. Gaddy, A. Floden, A. Frances, A. Highland, D. Leaman, T. Littlefield, C. Meredith, S. O'Bryan, L. Oliver, E. Schilling, A. Schotz, A. Walker, K. Wayman. Status assessment workshop at Mt. Cuba Center, Oct. 21-23, 2019.
Vellend, M., J. Myers, S. Gardescu, and P. Marks. 2003. Dispersal of Trillium seeds by deer: Implications for long-distance migration of forest herbs. Ecology 84(4):1067-1072.
Walck, J.L., J.M. Baskin, C.C. Baskin, and S.N. Hidayati. Defining transient and persistent seed banks in species with pronounced seasonal dormancy and germination patterns. Seed Science Research 15: 189-196. DOI: 10.1079/SSR2005209
Zettler, J. A., T. P. Spira, and A. A. Craig. 2001. Yellow Jackets (Vespula spp.) Disperse Trillium (spp.) Seeds in Eastern North America. American Midland Naturalist 146(2):444-446.

Trillium luteum

Habitat

Reproduction

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