Reduction of the Floral Parts of a Multiple Trillium in 

 Successive Years 



Titus Ulke 



In ToRREYA 38: 125, 1938, appeared a somewhat distorted story 

 and inaccurate description by Ruhoff of a quintuple or fifteen- 

 petaled Trillium grandiflornm, two specimens of which, growing 

 near each other, were almost simultaneously discovered by him 

 and the writer on Old Rag Mountain, Va., on May 6, 1938. 



The elevation of the locality was approximately 3,000 feet, not 

 2,500, as stated by Ruhoff, both specimens possessed three leaves, 

 not nine as given in said description, and they were not collected 

 on May 1. On the way down the mountain the rootstocks of both 

 specimens became detached, but fortunately were not lost. 



The rootstock of my plant was transplanted, with some of 

 its granitic soil, to my rock-garden at the John Dickson Home, 

 Washington, D. C, on May 6, 1938. It did not produce a flower 

 in 1939, but fortunately shot up in 1940, in the middle of May, 

 as a triplicate or nine-petaled Trilium grandiflorum, shown in the 

 illustration. It was presented to the U. S. National Herbarium, 

 minus the rootstock, which is still in my garden, and given the 

 number 1786868. 



The plant has a yellowish green stem, about 20 cm. high, three 

 light green, rhombic ovate leaves averaging 8 cm. in length, and 

 4.5 to 4.8 cm. in greatest width, and a reddish brown peduncle 

 4 cm. long, terminated by the floral whorl 5 cm. in diameter. The 

 distance from the top of the ascending rhizome to the whorl of 

 leaves is 14.6 cm. There are six green, lanceolate sepals, the aver- 

 age length of the outer of which is 2.8 cm., while the inner sepals 

 measure 2.5 cm. The petals, nine in number, and rose pink in color, 

 are in three whorls, and their average length is as follows : outer 

 petals, 2.2 cm., intermediate 1.6 cm., and the inner petals 1 cm. 



The present habitat in granitic soil, its moisture condition, 

 shade, and plant associations are somewhat like those of its moun- 

 tain occurrence, the chief difiference being the altitude, i.e., 300 as 

 against 3,000 feet above sea. It would seem that the transplantation 

 to the new environment has brought about the dwarfing of the 

 plant by a third of its length, i.e., its decrease from 30 cm. height 



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