About Trillium catesbaei Elliott
Trillium catesbaei is a perennial herb that spreads via underground rhizomes. Its stems grow up to 45 centimeters tall, and it produces white, pink, or rose-colored flowers that sometimes darken to a deeper pink as they age. Flowers are sometimes hidden behind green or yellow bracts, which gives rise to the "bashful" component of one of this species' common names. This trillium occurs in the southeastern United States. Like most trilliums, it prefers moist, humus-rich soil in shaded locations. Its northern distribution reaches the Great Smoky Mountains and other areas of North Carolina and Tennessee. Most of its populations are located in the Piedmont region between North Carolina and Alabama, where it grows under deciduous trees including American beech, various oak and hickory species, and tulip poplar. The southernmost naturally occurring population of the species is in Escambia County, Alabama.
