GENUS i. 



WAKE-ROBIN FAMILY. 



1. Medeola virginiana L. Indian Cucum- 



ber-root. Fig. 1298. 



Medeola virginiana L. Sp. PI. 339. 1753- 



Rootstock i '-3' long. Stem i-2i tall, bear- 

 ing the lower whorl of leaves above the middie, 

 or in flowerless plants at the summit; leaves of 

 the lower whorl sessile, 2$'-$' long, i'-2' wide, 

 acuminate at the apex, narrowed at the base, 

 3~5-nerved and reticulate-veined ; leaves of the 

 upper whorl I'-a' long, i'-i' wide, short-petioled 

 or sessile; umbel 2-0,-flowered ; pedicels filiform, 

 i' long or less, declined in flower, erect or as- 

 cending in fruit; perianth-segments 3" -5" long, 

 obtuse; berry dark purple, 4" -7" in diameter. 



In moist woods and thickets, Nova Scotia to On- 

 tario, Minnesota, Florida and Tennessee. May-June. 



2. TRILLIUM L. Sp. PI. 339. 1753. 



Glabrous erect unbranched herbs, with short 

 scarred rootstocks and 3 leaves whorled at the 

 summit of the stem, subtending the sessile or 

 peduncled solitary bractless flower. Solitary 

 long-petioled leaves are sometimes borne on the 

 rootstock. Perianth of 2 distinct series of 

 segments, the outer 3 (sepals) green, persistent, the inner 3 (petals) white, pink, purple or 

 sometimes greenish, deciduous or withering. Stamens 6, hypogynous ; filaments short ; anthers 

 linear, mostly introrse. Ovary sessile, 3-6-angled or lobed, 3-celled ; ovules several or numer- 

 ous in each cavity ; styles 3, stigmatic along the inner side. Berry many-seeded. Seeds hori- 

 zontal. [Latin, in allusion to the 3-parted flowers and the 3 leaves.] 



About 24 species of North America and Asia. Besides the following, some 7 others occur 

 in southern and western North America. Known as Three-leaved Nightshade and Birthroot. 

 Phyllody, i. e., the reversion of petals or sepals to leaves, is occasional, and the floral parts are 

 sometimes in 4*5. Type species : Trillium cernuum L. 

 Flower sessile. 



Leaves sessile ; sepals not reflexed. 

 Flowers purple ; petals lanceolate. 

 Flowers green ; petals linear. 

 Leaves petioled ; sepals reflexed. 

 Flower peduncled. 



Leaves oval or ovate, obtuse or obtusish, \'-z' long. 

 Leaves broadly ovate or rhombic, acuminate, 2'- 7' long. 



* Leaves sessile, or narrowed at the base and short-petioled. 

 Petals obovate or oblanceolate, ij^'-2j^' long. 

 Petals ovate or lanceolate, Yz' i J4' long. 



Peduncle i%'~4' long, erect or declined; petals spreading. 



Petals brown-purple, rarely white ; filaments two-thirds as long as the anthers, 



or longer. 6. T. erectum. 



Petals white; filaments not more than half as long as anthers. 7. T.declinatum. 

 Peduncle i J4' long or less, recurved ; petals recurved. 8. T. cernuum. 



** Leaves distinctly petioled, obtuse or rounded at the base. 9. T. undulatitm. 



i. Trillium sessile L. Sessile-flowered Wake- 

 robin. Fig. 1299. 



Trillium sessile L. Sp. PI. 340. 1753. 



Stem 4*-i2' tall. Leaves ovate, oval or nearly orbic- 

 ular, sessile, acute or obtuse and cuspidate at the apex, 

 li'-o long, often blotched; flower sessile, erect; sepals 

 lanceolate, acute or obtuse, spreading, i'-2' long, petals 

 lanceolate, acute or obtuse, somewhat longer than the 

 sepals, erect-spreading, purple or green ; anthers 3"-7" 

 long, longer than filament, the connective prolonged 

 beyond the sacs; berry globose, 6-angled, about i' in 

 diameter. 



In moist woods and thickets, Pennsylvania to Ohio and 

 Minnesota, south to Florida, Mississippi and Arkansas. 

 Flowers pleasantly odorous. Three-leaved nightshade. 

 April-May. 



1. T. sessile. 



2. T. viride. 



3. T. recurvatttm. 



4. T. nivale. 



5. T. grandiflorum. 



