Louisiana Trillium Trillium ludovicianum

Louisiana wakerobin is a member of the Melanthiaceae family, also called the bunchflower family. They are native to Louisiana and Mississippi where they are found growing at between one hundred sixty and sixteen hundred foot altitudes in low flatwoods, floodplains along streams, steep ravine slopes that lead to a floodplain and mixed pine-beech woods. The genus name, Trillium, is from the Latin for three, tres. And this well describes the plant, everything is in three or a multiple of three. There are three bracts, three leaves, three sepals, three petals. The attractive bronzy green leaves are held well above the ground and attractively mottled in a lighter green sometimes with an even lighter line dividing the leaf in two. The dark purplish brown petals are held upright in the center of the whorl of leaves. They smell a little like carrion and attract beetles, which are the pollinators. The fleshy fruit is a purplish six angled ovoid.

Trilliums slowly spread by underground rhizomes and are attractively planted in groups under trees in humus-rich moist well-drained soils in part to full shade. They suffer with too much sun. Plant in drifts at the edge of the woods or near a stream.

Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems:  No serious problems.  Slugs and snails are occasional pests and leaf spot, rust and smut are occasional disease problems. It does not transplant well.