TRILLIUM CERNUUM BLOOMS IN THE WISSAHICKON VALLEY

THE SANGUINE ROOT VISITS WISSAHICKON VALLEY PARK IN HOPES OF FINDING TRILLIUM CERNUUM IN BLOOM.

Trillium Cernuum blooms in the Wissahickon Valley Park, Philadelphia PA
Trillium Cernuum blooms in the Wissahickon Valley Park, Philadelphia PA

 

The shapes of the leaves.  The recurved white petals.  The striking color of the stamens.  The way the flower blooms below the leaves.  What isn’t there to love?

 Trillium Cernuum blooms in the Wissahickon Valley Park, Philadelphia PA
Trillium Cernuum blooms in the Wissahickon Valley Park, Philadelphia PA

 

This is the first fresh bloom we have actually seen in three years of frequenting this site.  We would always end up being too late or too early.  But on this May Day of 2011, we were right on time.

Trillium Cernuum blooms in the Wissahickon Valley Park, Philadelphia PA
Trillium Cernuum blooms in the Wissahickon Valley Park, Philadelphia PA

 

The Trillium cernuum reminds us of a Mayapple, the way it has a beautiful, shy flower underneath the leaf.  The two plants also seem to bloom at exactly the same time in the Wissahickon Valley Park.

 

Trillium Cernuum blooms in the Wissahickon Valley Park, Philadelphia PA
Trillium Cernuum blooms in the Wissahickon Valley Park, Philadelphia PA

This is what Trillium cernuum looks like at first glance, from a human eye point of view.

Trillium Cernuum blooms in the Wissahickon Valley Park, Philadelphia PA
Trillium Cernuum blooms in the Wissahickon Valley Park, Philadelphia PA

But natural beauty is often found from more subtle viewpoints.

Trillium Cernuum blooms in the Wissahickon Valley Park, Philadelphia PA
Trillium Cernuum blooms in the Wissahickon Valley Park, Philadelphia PA

We wonder what kind of relationship this Trillium has with insects.  You can see on the petal to the right a potential pollinating insect.

Trillium Cernuum blooms in the Wissahickon Valley Park, Philadelphia PA
Trillium Cernuum blooms in the Wissahickon Valley Park, Philadelphia PA

Again, we would like to note that there is a certain resemblance between the Trillium cernuum and the Mayapple.

Trillium Cernuum blooms in the Wissahickon Valley Park, Philadelphia PA
Trillium Cernuum blooms in the Wissahickon Valley Park, Philadelphia PA

Here we have a variety of species growing together: Trillium cernuum, Sanguinaria canadensis, Podophyllum peltatum, Smilacina racemosa. Isabelle Dijols is appreciative of this diverse ecosystem.

Trillium cernuum blooms in the Wissahickon Valley Park, Philadelphia PA
Trillium cernuum blooms in the Wissahickon Valley Park, Philadelphia PA

It is a rare occurrence to find Trillium cernuum in the Fairmount Park system of Philadelphia.  To find them in bloom is a really special occasion for us.

 

Uvularia perfoliata blooms in the Wissahickon Valley Park, Philadelphia PA
Uvularia perfoliata blooms in the Wissahickon Valley Park, Philadelphia PA

We also had never see Uvularia perfoliata growing in the wild before.  The flower is even more beautiful than what we anticipated.

Trillium cernuum blooms in the Wissahickon Valley Park, Philadelphia PA
Trillium cernuum blooms in the Wissahickon Valley Park, Philadelphia PA

The common name “nodding trillium” seems quite appropriate in this particular picture.

Arisaema triphyllum blooms in the Wissahickon Valley Park, Philadelphia PA
Arisaema triphyllum blooms in the Wissahickon Valley Park, Philadelphia PA

We found Trillium cernuum in the immediate vicinity of Arisaema triphyllum, and Podophyllum peltatum.

Podophyllum peltatum blooms in the Wissahickon Valley Park, Philadelphia PA
Podophyllum peltatum blooms in the Wissahickon Valley Park, Philadelphia PA

One Reply to “TRILLIUM CERNUUM BLOOMS IN THE WISSAHICKON VALLEY”

  1. Would you be willing to take me to see T cernuum in the Wissahickon? I’ve seen this species in Nolde SF among other places but would love to see it flowering in my backyard.

    BTW, am I right in thinking that T cuneatum that I have found flowering singly in a few spots in the Wissahickon is probably not wild?

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