Find a plant:


{name}

OR Browse All Plants


Trillium luteum (Yellow trillium, Wood lily, Wakerobin, Trinity flower)

Trillium luteum Photo/Illustration: Jennifer Benner



Be the first to rate this plant

Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
Botanical Name: Trillium luteum TRILL-ee-um LOO-tee-um Common Name: Yellow trillium, Wood lily, Wakerobin, Trinity flower Genus: Trillium
This mid- to late-spring bloomer bears yellow blossoms atop a trio of leaves often mottled with a paler shade of silvery-green. It is faintly fragrant of lemon oil, and grows to about 14 inches tall.
 Noteworthy characteristics: Most trilliums are native to woodlands and scrub of North America. Groups of them make an elegant understory planting in a woodland or shady naturalized area. Trilliums go dormant in summer, so plant them with other shade-loving perennials to share their place until they reappear the following spring. 
 Care: Provide rich, moist, but well-drained soil with a neutral to acidic pH. Plant in full to part shade. Mulch annually with rich organic matter.
 Propagation: Trilliums propagate readily by division when plants are dormant in late summer or early fall.
 Problems: Smut, rust, fungal spots, slugs, snails
Height 1 ft. to 3 ft.
Spread 6 in. to 12 in.
Growth Habit Clumps
Growth Pace Moderate Grower
Light Part Shade to Full Shade
Moisture Medium Moisture
Maintenance Low
Characteristics Fragrant Flowers; Native; Self Seeds; Showy Flowers; Showy Foliage
Bloom Time Late Spring
Foliage Color Variegated Foliage
Flower Color Yellow Flower
Uses Ground Covers, Naturalizing
Style Shade, Woodland Garden
Seasonal Interest Spring Interest
Type Perennials

Plants you might also like

Trillium erectum Trillium erectum
(Red trillium, Purple trillium, Stinking Benjamin, Woodlily, Wakerobin, Trinity flower) Be the first to rate this plant
Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

This trillium has upright or outward-facing blossoms of chocolate or reddish-purple, or occasionally white or yellow. At close range, it bears an unpleasant scent. It blooms in mid- to late spring, and grows from 14-20 inches tall and a foot wide.
Trillium erectum var. album Trillium erectum var. album
(White trillium, Stinking Benjamin, Wood lily, Wakerobin) Be the first to rate this plant
Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

This white-flowered form of red trillium has delicate, outward-facing petals with striking dark centers. At close range, it bears an unpleasant scent. Plants bloom in mid- to late spring, and grow to 14-20 inches tall and a foot wide.
Trillium recurvatum Trillium recurvatum
(Prairie trillium, Bloody butcher, Purple wakerobin, Wood lily, Trinity flower) Be the first to rate this plant
Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

This is one of the first and most plentiful Trilliums to bloom in the spring. It has upright maroon blossoms (occasionally white or yellow) without stalks, and its leaves can be nicely mottled. It grows to 12-18 inches tall and 8-12 inches wide.
Smilacina racemosa Smilacina racemosa
(Solomon's plume, False Solomon's seal) Be the first to rate this plant
Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

This shade-loving perennial produces plumes of creamy white blossoms in spring, followed by mottled yellowish-green berries that turn to deep red. The fragrant, ivory white blossoms occur on the ends of arching branches, distinguishing them from true Solomon's seal (Polygonatum). The plant grows to 3 feet high and 2 feet wide.
Trillium flexipes Trillium flexipes
(Bent trillium, White wakerobin, Wood lily, Trinity flower) Be the first to rate this plant
Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

This trillium produces large white flowers above the foliage in mid-spring, but the flowers are later hidden as the flower stalks nod. The flowers occasionally are maroon, but they retain the white ovaries. The plant is quite variable, and can grow up to 2 feet tall.