T is for Trillium

 T is for Trillium. These particular ones are in my yard this week, :-) but can be found in moist deciduous forests in the spring. The plant's name comes from the Latin word for "three" which I am sure comes to no surprise to any of you! I'm quite fond of them, maybe because they are one of the first plants to come up and bloom at my place, maybe because their leaf formations grow bigger as the season goes on, after the flowers are gone, maybe it is really because they also grew at my house when I was a kid.

 My Mom called them "Stinking Benjamins" - same name she learned from her Mother. I'd giggle and ask her every year to tell me the story: a little boy did something naughty, so he went out and picked a bouquet of these to bring to his Mum, (well they don't smell as good as they look) and she was reported to put her nose to the flowers and cry out "stinking Benjamin!" Hmmmm, do you think that boy made an honest mistake, or not?

When I looked them up in a nature book, they called this color "purple" although there is nothing purple about it, it is a nice deep red, and becomes more maroon as the petals mature. These were illuminated by the setting sun. The book also said in their wildflower lore of the past, the roots were given to women after childbirth, giving it the nickname "birthroot". I think I need to research that story some more! Happy Spring!

pre-bloom