Little Sweet Trillium

Trillium cuneatum

Found in rich soils of cove forests, moist slopes, and bottomlands, usually over mafic or calcareous rocks, locally abundant. Also cultivated and escaping. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you

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Not native

Not native to Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 71%

Height: 1–1.5 feet
Spread: 9 inches–1 foot
Light: Deep shade, Partial shade
Soil moisture: Usually moist

Trillium cuneatum — bloom photograph — Photo by and (c)2007 Derek Ramsey (Ram-Man) · CC BY-SA 2.5 · Original photograph

At a glance

Life cycle: Perennial
Fruiting season: Late May to June

Not yet recorded · Leaves · Bloom

Bloom: NC species account not read yet.

Leaves: no source found yet.

Recorded in 5 Virginia counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 3

Regional / representative. Shown: Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina and Tennessee; representative habitat composite, not a documented exact viewpoint, a neighboring state.Cove hardwood forest, Hynes, Robert 'Bob', by 2012. Public domain. Source record.

Regional / representative. Shown: Mountains of North and South Carolina; exact site not identified, a neighboring state.Shortia beneath rhododendrons in mountain woodland, Marian Ellis Rowan, 1901. Public domain. Source record.

Floodplain and bottomland forests

Forests on low ground beside rivers and streams that flood from time to time.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Virginia. Shared habitat, not food. 128 animals.

Acadian Flycatcher
Empidonax virescens
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Alder Flycatcher
Empidonax alnorum
Birds. 2 shared habitats
American Black Duck
Anas rubripes
Birds. 2 shared habitats
American Crow
Corvus brachyrhynchos
Birds. 2 shared habitats
American Goldfinch
Carduelis tristis
Birds. 2 shared habitats
American Redstart
Setophaga ruticilla
Birds. 2 shared habitats
American Robin
Turdus migratorius
Birds. 2 shared habitats
American Woodcock
Scolopax minor
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Baltimore Oriole
Icterus galbula
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Barred Owl
Strix varia
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Belted Kingfisher
Megaceryle alcyon
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Black Vulture
Coragyps atratus
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Black-and-White Warbler
Mniotilta varia
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Black-crowned Night-heron
Nycticorax nycticorax
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Blue Grosbeak
Passerina caerulea
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Blue Jay
Cyanocitta cristata
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Polioptila caerulea
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Blue-winged Warbler
Vermivora pinus
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Broad-winged Hawk
Buteo platypterus
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Brown Creeper
Certhia americana
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Brown Thrasher
Toxostoma rufum
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Brown-headed Cowbird
Molothrus ater
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Carolina Chickadee
Poecile carolinensis
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Carolina Wren
Thryothorus ludovicianus
Birds. 2 shared habitats

All wildlife of Virginia

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

2CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA

Genus host records with ranges including VA · Trillium

Clepsis melaleucanusBlack-Patched Clepsis, Trillium Tortrix
Euplexia benesimilisAmerican Angle Shades

Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)

—BeesSoutheastern regional records

—Specialist beesPollen specialists

—BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family: Trilliaceae
Hardiness: Zones 5a–8b
Soil pH: Acidic to neutral
Flower color: Yellow, green or red
Fruit begins: Late May
Fruit ends: June

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope

Flower color · “Yellow, green or red” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center differs)
Fruit begins · “Late May” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
Fruit ends · “June” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
Hardiness · “Zones 5a–8b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Height · “1–1.5 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Tennessee Smart Yards differs)
Life cycle · “Perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Light · “Deep shade (less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight); Partial shade (direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Soil · “Moist” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Tennessee Smart Yards differs)
Soil pH · “Acidic to neutral” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Spread · “9 inches–1 foot” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox

Also known as

Cuneate Trillium; Sweet Betsy; Trillium cuneatum var. cuneatum

Conservation status

Virginia rank	Not available
Global rank	G4G5
VA status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

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