For Your Garden - December 2014
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Native plants provide beauty as well as food and shelter for wildlife. Native species are adapted to the Illinois climate. They require little or no watering and are resistant to drought, insects and most diseases. Because they are perennials, you can welcome their presence year after year.
large white trillium (Trillium grandiflorum)
Photo © 2014, River Valley Photographic Resources, Ltd., rvprltd.com
Large white trillium grows mainly in the northern half of Illinois although it can be found occasionally in the southern half of the state. It thrives in rich woodlands. Like all trilliums, this member of the lily family has three leaves, three petals and three sepals. The white petals turn pink as they age. The plant develops from a bulb. Flowering occurs in April and May. Large white trillium typically reaches one to one and one-half feet in height.
Classification and taxonomy are based on Mohlenbrock, Robert H. 2014. Vascular flora of Illinois: A field guide. Fourth edition. Southern Illinois University Press, Carbondale. 536 pp.
