GREAT WHITE TRILLIUM 



I Large-flowered Wake Robin ) 

 Trillium gcandiflorum (Michx.) Salisb. 



April - May Tin- April sun which niovfs in shafts of misty light 



Northern woods ciirly in the cool hriglit morning shines upon the faces 



of great white trilliunis hlossoniing in the woods. 

 They are there hy dozens, singly, in colonies, in hordes. Huge, clean-cut, 

 with splendid threc-pailcd siinpli(ity which is their greatest charm, the 

 rare white trilliimis i^lcnm in the Illinois woods which still support them. 

 Further north in wildci' roimtiy tiiey still are connnon; in Illinois they 

 seem to he limited to the iioithern third of the state and seldom are 

 found in nunilx'is. purr ;iiui white and tali, in the fragrant April woods. 



Tile great wliiti' tiillmni i> the largot of the tamily. Yet of them 

 all, the great white has more variations and (h'formities in hlossoming 

 than any others. Few other ]ilants, in fact, present so many variations 

 of a single theme. A trillium should he arranged according to the plan 

 of three, with three ))etals, no more, and three leaves, and no more. But 

 there may he one with four i)etals and four leaves, one with two petals 

 and four leaves, one with five petals, six ])etals. eight petals, even twelve, 

 with any numi)er of leaves, or the ])resciil»e(l nund)er of three. Although 

 these monstrosities are heautilnl with their pure white ])etals, they lose 

 that pristine charm of the true and undeforintKl white trillium which, as 

 many religious folk say. exj)resses tiie heauty of the trinity. 



Trilliunis in the woods — the spring 



and sings and moves all ahout them. 



lives and gi'ows and hlossoms 



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