Trillium flexipes by any other name...

...is Bent Trillium, White Trillium, Drooping Trillium, White wakerobin, Wood lily, Trinity flower...and sometimes even Nodding Trillium (although most often Nodding Trillium seems to refer to Trillium cemuum, not found in our area). This plant goes by a lot of aliases!

Recurved white petals of Drooping Trillium (Trillium flexipes) bend gracefully back over the sepals.

...water droplets cling to the petals of Trillium flexipes. This April, if you've been out looking for wildflowers in Ohio, you've probably seen water droplets on practically everything (including yourself). I think we've only had two days of sunshine...

Identifying characteristics of Trillium flexipes are creamy white anthers and filaments....and the anthers (the tip of the flower's stamen that holds the pollen) are longer than the filaments (the part of the flower's stamen that holds the anther). In this photo you can see the anthers (creamy white and coated in pollen) are much longer than the filaments because you can barely see the filaments!

The drooping peduncle (stem) that aptly gives this trillium one of its common names, and which makes it so different from the stalkless Trillium sessile from this post.

...the three big and beautiful leaves of Trillium flexipes often hide the blossom if it "droops" below the leaf level. Here the blossom hovers just above...

...another look at those beautiful recurved petals! (Can you tell I like this view...)

Rick, Matty and I found this stand of trillium along the Little Miami River this past Sunday. The Trillium sessile (from this post), were still blooming, but their petals were already shriveled and worn in many of the plants, and our attention shifted to the fresh and beautiful white blossoms of Trillium flexipes.

...the maroon/white form of Trillium flexipes. Most of the trilliums along the Little Miami River were white, but a few of the blossoms showed this maroon/white coloring. Of course, the anthers and filaments were still the creamy white color.

...trilliums have an interesting method of seed dispersal....from my "Wildflowers of Ohio" book by Robert Henn:

"The seeds contain an oil which attracts ants that carry the seeds to their nest. There the ants consume the oil as food, but do not harm the seeds, and thus the seeds are dispersed."

Andrew from "The Natural Treasures of Ohio" just posted on Tricky Trilliums. Head over to his blog for a detailed account of the trillium species in Ohio.