(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . The Daily Bucket: Underwood's Trillium [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.', 'Backgroundurl Avatar_Large', 'Nickname', 'Joined', 'Created_At', 'Story Count', 'N_Stories', 'Comment Count', 'N_Comments', 'Popular Tags'] Date: 2023-02-01 So at the end of a hard workday removing invasive plants in this treasure of a nature park, I was standing in a drop off looking up at a Trillium in a most wonderful spot. Hey all — just a short bucket for those of you that may be waiting for an opening to post your nature observations. I know you have them — we all do one way or the other. Fantastic photos or maybe just words to describe the moment and location. These are some photos that my longtime volunteer friend at Angus Gholson Nature Park in Chattahoochee, FL took last week. I grouped and showed them in comments a few days ago but they are fun to share again. Species is Trillium underwoodii - Wiki. also Florida Native Plant Society. and US Forest Service. A note on botany names — when setting an honorific for the specific, typically “ii” is added to the person’s name. I may have read about Underwood once but forgot. Anyways, “under wood” describes where to spot this species in forests thru its limited lower SE range. A source I use often since I am really close to Alabama is their Plant Atlas. Alvin Diamond has done so much work to make readable descriptions for us amateurs but stay true to the science of botany. 3 shades of green is key to this species. Underwood’s Trillium is a native perennial in the Bunchflower family (Melanthiaceae). It is native to the southern half of Alabama. Underwood’s Trillium occurs in rich hardwood forests, along streams, and in ravines. It is a perennial from a stout rhizome. Each rhizome produces one erect stem topped by three leaf-like bracts. The stems are from 3-8 inches in height, short enough that if the leaf-like bracts are bent down they will touch the ground. The bracts are ovate-lanceolate to obovate in outline, entire, and glabrous. The bracts are mottled with three shades of green and usually have a silver-green stripe down the middle. The tips of the bracts are pointed. Plants produce a single sessile flower. There are three spreading sepals that are purple or green in color, and three oblanceolate to elliptic, erect (not spreading or twisted) petals. Petals vary in color from dark maroon-red, purplish red, to brownish red. The fruit is a mealy capsule. The seed are tan in color with a white elaiosome. Underwood’s Trillium is frequently confused with Deceiving Trillium (Trillium decipiens J.D. Freeman), which grows in the same area of the state. Underwood’s Trillium is a shorter plant (the bracts of Deceiving Trillium will only extend about half way down the stem when pressed downward) with more uniform dark colored flowers.—A. Diamond Yup — got that? I learn more every time I read it. Wiki also has a glossary of botanical names — cross-referenced and with photos. So anyways, here are the exceptions to three leaf-like bracts, 4 leaf 5 leaf 4 and 5 leaf and rarely 2 Last unusual Trillium we found was this with 6 leaves plus a normal one next to it. Wait one more…. This one either got nipped by the freeze or nibbled as the bracts, still pointed together, pushed up thru the leaf litter. Well that’s it; Jump in y’all — the Daily Bucket is open. And just now, late afternoon, I heard my Barred Owls calling back and forth. [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/2/1/2149429/-The-Daily-Bucket-Underwood-s-Trillium Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/