Description
Western trillium has an elegance that is hard to overlook, making it a highly revered, familiar, and endearing native plant throughout its range. Native to the western United States, Western trillium goes by many common names, including Pacific trillium or Western wakerobin. The early spring blooms of Western trillium are unmistakable. The large white petals are 1/2″-3″ long, fading to pink or dark magenta as they get older. When in flower Western trillium grows 4″-18″ tall. It is a common site in moist mixed conifer forest, oak woodland and redwood forests in the Klamath-Siskiyou region, generally growing below 5,000′ in elevation. Western trillium is a perennial wildflower that grows from a slowly spreading rhizome. It prefers part shade to shade or dappled sunlight and moist, rich soil with good drainage. Trilliums are long-lived plants but may take 3-5 years to bloom when grown from seed. After blooming in early spring Western trillium will be summer dormant. The flowers are attractive to many pollinators, including bumblebees, moths, and beetles. Trilliums do well in shaded to partly shaded woodland gardens with some supplemental early summer irrigation in dry locations. Western trillium seeds are distributed by ants and yellowjackets which are attracted to the fleshy seed coat.
Trillium ovatum seed packets contain 1/8 teaspoon of seed.
Seed Germination Instructions
Seed requires two warm/cold cycles to germinate. Plant outside in fall. Seeds will germinate the second spring after being sown.
