Magical Trilliums Trivia Quiz

Answer: Three

Trillium were named for the fact that they have three petals, three sepals (petal covers), three stigmas (pollen receptors), and leaves in groups of three. There are rare occurrences where the trillium can create a "double flower" of six petals and sepals, however, this does not occur very often.

The flowers reminded Christian settlers of the Holy Trinity and they called the flower with a name beginning with "tri-", the Latin form of "three".

Answer: Ontario

The trillium is the provincial flower of Ontario. It is also the official state wildflower of Ohio, United States. Ontario adopted the specific flower, the white trillium (trillium grandiflorum), as the provincial flower in 1937 and it is now widely used in the provincial emblem and program names.

The idea to adopt the trillium as an official flower came after World War I. Veterans returning from the war wanted a Canadian emblem to plant atop the graves of their fallen brethren that were buried in Europe.

When the country itself did not adopt an official flower, the province of Ontario decided to adopt the trillium.

Answer: Woodlands

Trilliums are very light-sensitive so they prefer to grow in woodland areas where the sunlight is indirect. They also prefer to live in well-drained areas and do not mind that the trees take the majority of the moisture from the ground. The springtime blooms have trilliums peeking their green heads out of the brown woodland underbrush and adding a bit of colour to the forest floor.

Answer: White-tailed deer

White-tailed deer like to eat white trilliums particularly, and will often go out of their way to graze upon this plant. Scientist can actually measure the population density of white-tailed deer from the height of the plants and can see if there is a healthy population of deer in the area.

These deer also play an important part in repopulating the trilliums. When they eat the trillium fruit, the seeds pass through them and get excreted in the feces, sometimes kilometers away. This allows for more widespread biodiversity when trillium seeds get deposited far from their origin.

Answer: False

Most trillium species have an odourless flower and they do not add or detract from the smell of the forest. The trillium starts to bloom in early Spring and the flowers may start blooming shortly after that, depending on the species. The trilliums burst into colour from mid-Spring to early Summer.

The trillium flowers bloom for about three weeks and then the plant creates a fruit which is hexagonal in shape and contains the seeds.

Answer: Antiseptic and astringent

While the entire plant is edible by animals as well as by humans, it also has medical properties that were well-known to Native Americans and First Nations. The plant can be used to stop bleeding (astringent) as well as to clean wounds and prevent infection (antiseptic). Additionally, the roots were well known as a way to induce labour in pregnant women as well as to promote regular menstruation as a uterine stimulant.

Answer: It seriously injures the plant

Picking the trillium can harm the plant to the point that it may not flower for a couple of seasons. The trillium relies on its leaves for food production through photosynthesis (in the green chlorophyll). While the stem can also create some food, it is not enough for the plant. If there are enough nutrients stored in the rhizome (subterranean stem-root structure) then the plant will be able to recover, though it may not flower in the coming season or two.

However, if the plant is picked very low, or the rhizome does not have enough nutrients stored yet, then the plant may die.

Answer: True

Trilliums will bloom for about three weeks. White trillium, (trillium grandiflorum) will have snow-white flowers that remind people of purity and cleanliness. However, once the flower begins to age, the petals will turn pink and eventually fall off. The plant will then create a fruit containing seeds.

There also exists a variant of the white trillium that has pink flowers from the get-go. This variant is often mistaken for a pink trillium, however, it is still the same species (trillium grandiflorum forma roseum). It can be found in Virginia, in the Blue Ridge Mountains, however, even there it can be quite rare.

Answer: Wakerobin

Trilliums were associated with the return of the robin, hence the name "wakerobin". They also go by the name "birthroot" and "birthwort" because of their medicinal properties in helping induce labour, a property long known to First Nations and Native Americans.

They're also called "toadshade" as the petals droop in such a way as they resemble a parasol or an umbrella just the right height for a frog or a toad. Never mind that there are no frogs or toads that will object to being out in the rain but, so be it...

Answer: Ants

When the trillium produces its fruit, it contains seeds. Ants, and occasionally mice, will take these fruits back to eat but will leave the seeds. These seeds will often germinate up to several meters away from the parent plant and spread the trilliums around.

White-tailed deer, however, can move the trillium seeds for kilometers. During the last ice age, this was a key factor in how the trillium managed to survive and to repopulate the areas it once grew, when the glaciation receded. It was able to preserve itself in several secluded sites and deer were able to take the seeds in their bodies back north to the traditional natural habitats of the trillium once the ice age concluded. It is a very industrious plant aided by some very industrious friends.