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Trillium grandiflorum (Large-flowered or Great White Trillium)

Native Trillium grandiflorum flower
Whorl of 3 bracts of native Trillium grandiflorum (large-flowered trillium) in April.
Native Trillium grandiflorum en masse
Trillium grandiflorum (Large-flowered or Great White Trillium) in April woods at Longwood Gardens, PA.
Native Trillium grandiflorum flower
Trillium grandiflorum (Large-flowered or Great White Trillium) at the Thompson Wildlife Management Area in May.

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Trillium grandiflorum Tried and True Native Plant Selections Large-flowered or Great White Trillium for the Mid-Atlantic This showy trillium, with flower diameters up to four inches, is a familiar spring native wildflower in the Mid-Atlantic* woodlands of the Blue Ridge Mountains and Appalachian Plateaus. The Virginia Native Plant Society named Great White Trillium Wildflower of the Year in 1996. Perennial Colony and Close-up of Flower Height: 1⁄2–11⁄2 feet Spread: 3⁄4–1 foot Bloom Color: White turning light pink with age Characteristics Spring ephemeral, herbaceous perennial Each sturdy, erect, unbranched stem** with whorl of 3 ovate, palmately-veined, green, foliaceous bracts Single, 3 white-petaled & 3 green-sepaled flower held on a pedicel well above bracts April to June Ovoid berries*** July–August; seeds spread by ants Spreads–if undisturbed–very slowly by rhizomes Attributes Averse to transplantation; no serious pests–but slugs can be a nuisance–or diseases; deer seldom to rarely severely damage but are more likely to notice large-flowered over smaller trilliums Foliage dies to ground in summer, especially in dry soil (do not remove foliage until spent) From seed: 2–3 yrs to develop whorls; 7 yrs to bloom Attracts insects rarely; large colonies provide cover for small mammals; larval host for 2 moth species Growing and Maintenance Tips Excellent Replacement for Soil Requirements: Deep, rich, well-drained Muscari - Grape Hyacinth Light Requirements: Partial Shade, Shade Water Requirements: Moist *In the Mid-Atlantic Region, it is native to DC, rare in the DE Piedmont, reported in seven MD counties, and mostly found in the western half of PA. In VA, it is common in the mountains and rare in the inner Piedmont. It is not native to NoVA although it may grow where it has escaped cultivation. **US Forest Service explains that the “stem” is an extension of the rhizome. It “produces tiny, scale like leaves (cataphylls). The above-ground plant is technically a flowering scape,...’ ***According to the Flora of Virginia and the Manual of the Vascular Flora of the Carolinas. Prefers shade of deciduous or mixed-species forest Needs regular watering; apply leaf mulch in fall Use in shady borders or woodland gardens w/ ferns Hardiness: USDA Zones 4a-8b developed by Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia, serving Arlington and Alexandria Images by Elaine Mills, Longwood Gardens and Meadowlark Botanical Gardens

Tried and True Native Plant Selections
 for the Mid-Atlantic

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Trillium grandiflorum (Large-flowered or Great White Trillium)

This showy trillium, with flower diameters up to four inches, is a familiar spring native wildflower in the Mid-Atlantic* woodlands of the Blue Ridge Mountains and Appalachian Plateaus. The Virginia Native Plant Society named Great White Trillium Wildflower of the Year in 1996.

*In the Mid-Atlantic Region, it is native to DC, rare in the DE Piedmont, reported in seven MD counties, and mostly found in the western half of PA. In VA, it is common in the mountains and rare in the inner Piedmont. It is not native to NoVA although it may grow where it has escaped cultivation. You can view the VA counties in which it has been reported here.

Learn more about other Mid-Atlantic plants: 
Tried and True Native Plant Fact Sheets