Snow Trillium, Trillium nivale, Native Minnesota Wildflower plant, Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden

	Plants of the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden
	Common Name	Scientific Name	Plant Family	Garden Location	Prime Season
	Snow Trillium	Trillium nivale Riddell	Lily	Woodland	Early Spring
Other names and notes	One of the earliest blooming flowers in the Garden, sometimes, as the name implies, prior to full snow melt. The three part flower is up to one inch wide with the petals, which are elliptical and much longer than the sepals, having a blunt tip. The flower is solitary on a tall stalk above the three blunt leaves characterize the plant, although some plants may have somewhat pointed leaf tips. The flower stem slightly droops.


The glossy leaves belong to Running Myrtle (Vinca minor), among which grows this Snow Trillium, protected from drying temperatures by the green ground cover of the Myrtle.

Notes: Eloise Butler's records show that she first planted this species, from plants obtained from Kelsey's Nurseries in North Carolina, on May 9, 1910. Additional plantings occurred on May 16, 1924 from Denison, Iowa and on April 22, 1928 from Decorah, Iowa. The second Garden Curator, Martha Crone, reported that in 1935 the Snow Trillium bloomed for one month. She planted 40 additional plants in 1934. Native to Minnesota in the SE parts but under environmental pressure as it is listed on the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources "Special Concern" list. Per the DNR "A species is considered a species of special concern if, although the species is not endangered or threatened, it is extremely uncommon in Minnesota, or has unique or highly specific habitat requirements and deserves careful monitoring of its status." In Wisconsin the plant is on the "Threatened" list, a more critical rating than "Special Concern."

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References: Plant characteristics are generally from sources 15, 16, 30, 31, 33. Distribution principally from W2 and also 30, 33 and W1. Planting history generally from 1, 4, 11. Other sources by specific reference. See Reference List for details.

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