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Re: Trillium life cycle questiond

Deer do, indeed, reduce the vigor of Trillium when they browse them 
year after year. This is why, in most eastern forests, Trillium 
plants are larger and more likely to flower on steep slopes where 
deer are less likely to browse.

Some but not all species of Trillium are dispersed by ants. The 
fleshy outer coating you mentioned is relished by the ants. They 
carry the seeds home, eat off the "good stuff" on the outside, then 
discard the "worthless" seed in their subterranean trash heaps. 
There, nourished by the ants' other trash, the seedlings get a start 
on life.

As for increasing them in your woods...
Spreading the seed around might distribute them more evenly 
eventually, but it does leave them at the mercy of natural forces in 
their most vulnerable seedling stage. Why not spread some, preferably 
pushed a little way into soil from which the leaf litter has been 
brushed away? Also, keep a small amount of seed to propagate for a 
couple of years, until large enough to transplant out in some 
desirbable locations. Kept well watered, in bright shade, and in a 
rich soil medium, you may actually be able to speed up the time to 
first flowering by a year or two. Once established in the ground, 
they should persist for years, if conditions are right.

Nice to be thinking of springy Trilliums as we descend into autumn's 
decline. Thanks.


James C. Trager
Shaw Arboretum
P.O. Box 38
Gray Summit MO 63039
PH# 314-451-3512
FAX 314-451-5583
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