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Trillium flexipes

drooping trillium

Melanthiaceae

East-central United States and southern Ontario

Attracts Pollinators

Native to North America

SunPart Shade – Full Shade

WaterMedium

HardinessZones 4–8

Overview

Trillium flexipes is a spring-flowering woodland perennial growing 8-18 inches (20-45 cm) tall, with parts in threes typical of the genus. A single unbranched stem rises from an underground rhizome and bears a whorl of three broad, diamond-shaped leaves 3-6 inches (7.5-15 cm) long at its top. From this whorl a solitary flower is held on a slender stalk that often bends or droops, so the bloom may nod above, among, or below the leaves. The flower has three white, sometimes creamy, petals 1-2 inches (2.5-5 cm) long surrounding a pale ovary and stamens; a maroon-flowered form occurs where its range overlaps with related species. After bloom a fleshy fruit ripens and the plant dies back by midsummer. Native to the east-central United States and southern Ontario, it grows in rich, moist deciduous woods, on wooded slopes, and along streams, often over limestone. T. flexipes needs shade, humus-rich soil, and undisturbed ground, and it grows very slowly, taking several years from seed to first bloom. Like other trilliums, picking the flowering stem can kill the plant, since it removes all the season's leaves.

Native Range

Native to the east-central United States and southern Ontario, from New York and Ontario west to Minnesota and south to Missouri, Tennessee, and Alabama. It grows in rich, moist deciduous woodlands, wooded slopes, and streambanks, frequently over limestone.

Suggested Uses

Used in shaded native and woodland gardens, naturalized drifts under deciduous trees, and shade borders with other spring ephemerals, spaced 8-12 inches (20-30 cm) apart. It suits cool, moist, humus-rich spots that stay undisturbed for years. The early flowers and ant-dispersed seeds support woodland pollinators and ground insects.

How to Identify

Identify it by a single stem topped with a whorl of three broad, diamond-shaped leaves and one white three-petaled flower on a bent or drooping stalk that often carries the bloom below the leaves. The petals are white to cream with a pale, thick ovary at the center. The flexed, nodding flower stalk separates it from trilliums whose flowers sit upright on the leaves or are stalkless.

Appearance

Size & Dimensions

Height8" - 1'6"

Width/Spread8" - 1'

Reaches mature size in approximately 6 years

Colors

Flower Colors

white

Foliage Colors

green

Bloom Information

Bloom Period

~2 weeks

Spring

Flowering occurs in mid to late spring, generally April to May, as the woodland canopy leafs out. The single white flower lasts one to two weeks and may face outward or hang below the leaves on its bent stalk. By midsummer the foliage yellows and the plant goes dormant.

Detailed Descriptions

Flower Description

white to cream

Foliage Description

green

Growing Conditions

Sun Requirements

SunPartial Shade SunFull Shade

Requires 2-5 hours of direct sunlight daily

• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight

• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight

• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight

Soil Requirements

pH Range6.5 - 7.5(Neutral)

357912

Soil Types

loam clay

Drainagemoist

Water & Climate

Water Needs

Medium

Frost Tolerance

hardy

Time to Maturity

5-7 years

Care & Maintenance

Care Guide

Grow T. flexipes in full to part shade in moist, fertile, humus-rich, well-drained soil, ideally near neutral to slightly alkaline. It needs cool, undisturbed conditions and a steady supply of leaf litter, and it does not tolerate drought, deep cultivation, or competition from aggressive groundcovers. Moisture matters most in spring during growth and bloom, after which the plant rests. It needs no fertilizer beyond decaying leaf mulch. Plants grow slowly and are intolerant of transplanting, so they are left in place once settled. Removing the leaves, as when the flower is picked, starves the rhizome and can end the plant.

Pruning

Pruning does not apply to this woodland perennial. The foliage is left to yellow and die down naturally so the rhizome can store energy for the next year. Spent flowers can be left to set seed, which ants help disperse.