| Author | (Michaux) Salisbury | |
| Distribution | Throughout the Mountains and in the Piedmont foothills, sparingly east to the west-central Piedmont. Records range east to Rockingham and Davidson counties.
This is a Northeastern species that ranges from southern Que. and Ont., south mostly in the Appalachian Mountains and westward. It reaches south to northwestern SC, northern GA, northeastern AL, and IA. | |
| Abundance | Common in most of the Mountains; uncommon in the Piedmont foothills, but very rare east of the foothills. This is, along with T. erectum, the most numerous trillium species in the mountains, often found daily in a forest walk in that province. | |
| Habitat | This is a trillium of moist, rich forested soils, though it is not restricted to high pH sites like a few rare ones are. It favors Northern Hardwood Forests and Rich Cove Forests, but it can be found in Acidic Cove Forests and a few other montane forest types. |
| Phenology | Blooms in April and May, and fruits in July and August. | |
| Identification | This is a spectacular species of trillium when in bloom, at least where it occurs in extensive stands, which it frequently does. It is one of the green-leaved (i.e., non-mottled) species of trilliums, and its stem reaches about 12-15 inches tall. Each of the three leaves is rhombic to ovate, about 4-5 inches long and slightly less wide. The pedicel is a few inches high and carries the single 3-petaled flower somewhat erect to a bit sideways. Each flower has long and recurved petals about 2-2.5 inches long, generally larger and longer than on other trilliums. The flowers start out white but quickly fade to pink, so a stand of the plants normally has a mixture of white and pink flowers. Though there are at least 4-5 other white-flowered trillium species in the mountains, this species is quickly identified by its relatively short and narrow sepals, which have an acute tip; other white-flowered species have more obvious and longer/broader sepals. Seldom is this species troubling to identify, as an observer nearly always will see a mix of white and pink flowers in the stand. | |
| Taxonomic Comments | None
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| Other Common Name(s) | White Trillium (a poor name, as many species have white flowers), Great White Trillium | |
| State Rank | S5 | |
| Global Rank | G5 | |
| State Status | | |
| US Status | | |
| USACE-agcp | | |
| USACE-emp | | |
