TRbooora 
JOURNAL OF 
THE NEW ENGLAND BOTANICAL CLUB 
Vol. 25. November, 1923. No. 299. 
VARIATIONS IN TRILLIUM CERNUUM. 
A. J. Eames AND K. M. WIEGAND. 
In the basin of Cayuga Lake in Central New York, there is but 
one known station for Trillium cernuum. In aspect the plants from 
this station seemed to differ considerably from the more familiar 
material of eastern Massachusetts, and therefore a thorough study 
of the species was undertaken at the Gray Herbarium. Two fairly 
well marked tendencies were found, one represented by eastern, the 
other by western plants, but not sufficiently distinct, however, to be 
regarded as specific. That these two forms seem to have been vaguely 
recognized by some other botanists in the past is apparent from the 
label of a specimen from Lake Superior collected by J. W. Robbins 
where the following quotation is found: “not rare but the only species 
seen by me at Lake Superior. Not T. cernuum of N. E. That has 
the peduncle of the flower curved but this is inclined below the leaves 
but straight.” 
As is well known! the identity of the T. cernuum of Linnaeus is in 
doubt. The description consists of three words only: “flore pedun- 
culato cernuo," which is scarcely sufficient to define the name, as in 
several species the flowers are more or less nodding or declined. Two 
citations were given by Linnaeus, one to Colden and the other to 
Catesby. The habitat given by Linnaeus was “Carolina” referring 
probably to the Catesby citation. In the Linnaean Herbarium is a 
specimen collected by Kalm and named T. cernuum. Judging from 
the measurements given by Rendle this is probably the eastern form 
of T. cernuum mentioned above. The Catesby citation has been 
Rendle, Journal of Botany xxxix. 332 (1901). 
