Painted trillium (Trillium undulatum) is the showiest of the wildflowers that have appeared in my woods so far this spring.
They don't look very impressive when they start out though:
They don't look very impressive when they start out though:
The leaves emerge tightly whorled together:
As the leaves unfurl, the bud becomes visible:
Here, the bud is invisible, still hidden by the last leave to unfurl:
This is the same plant when I gently spread the remaining leaf:
Note the three leaves, three petals, and three sepals, characteristic of this and other species of trillium. The sepals are the small, green, leaf-like structures you see alternating with the petals in the photo above. Look back at earlier photos of the buds - you see the sepals enclosing and protecting the bud before it opens.