prairie wake robin
Trillium recurvatum
USDA zones4 to 9
SunHandles partial sun or full shade
WaterHandles dry to moist soil
Size12 to 18 inches tall9 to 12 inches wide
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Habit
- Herb
- Bloom season
- Spring
- Bloom color
- Purple to brownish purple
- Foliage color
- Green, variegated
- Soil types
- Sand, loam, clay, chalk
- Soil pH
- Acid, neutral
Garden uses
Attracts
Notes
Prairie wake robin (Trillium recurvatum) is a perennial for shade gardens, meadows, and low maintenance beds. It is hardy to USDA zone 4, or down to -30°F (-34°C). This plant likes part sun to full shade and dry to moist soil of most types. Maroon-red, tulip-shaped blooms sit right on top of three mottled leaves in spring. It is a spring ephemeral that may go dormant by summer. It may sulk a bit in its second year, then settle in for years of good displays.
Pairs well with Bloodroot, Western sword fern, and Royal fern.
Native range
Eastern United States.