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White trilliums from the forest floor. A spring flower of the forest floor. They turn slightly pink as they age. The seeds are dispersed by ants which carry them to their nests to eat the outer coat. The inner seed is not eaten and can germinate. These plants are among the favourite food of deer. St Bruno near Montreal.

The government of Quebec considers these to be vulnerable due to over collecting. This is especially a problem as it can take up to fifteen (!!) years for the plants to flower from germination, In addition, as noted above, they are often eaten by foraging deer which may also reduce their numbers. Since it takes so long to flower it is impractical to grow in greenhouses or commercial cultivation, but the unscrupulous are tempted to harvest it (illegally) from the wild for their gardens. Having said all this where they can be found they tend to be common and can form quite extensive patches of bright white that enliven the woods a few weeks after the snow melts. The very slow life cycle is summarized from the biodiversity web page of Quebec Govt (Rough English version follows).

"Espèce poussant à l’ombre. Floraison au début du printemps. L’autofécondation prédomine et le taux de fécondité varie de 68 % à 88 %. Il faut deux levées de dormance pour la graine. Une première période de froid permet le débourrement de la racine. Un réchauffement subséquent puis une seconde période de froid débourrent le cotylédon. Il faut trois ans de plus pour qu’émerge la première feuille. Le stade juvénile à trois feuilles est atteint cinq ans ou plus après la germination, et la première fleur est produite sept à dix ans plus tard. Le trille blanc aurait quinze stades de développement; sa croissance est donc extrêmement lente. Les graines possèdent une caroncule charnue qui attire les fourmis, ce qui contribue à leur dispersion sur des distances de 4 ou 5 m."

"This species grows in the shade and flowers in early spring. Self-pollination predominates and the fertility rate varies from 68% to 88%. Two periods are needed to break dormancy. A first cold period allows the bud to grow from the root. A subsequent warming then a second period of cold is needed to form the cotyledon. It takes three years for the first leaves to emerge. The three-leaf juvenile stage is reached five years or more after germination, and the first flower is produced from seven to ten years later. The white Trillium has fifteen stages of development; and therefore its growth is extremely slow. The seeds have a fleshy cover which attracts ants, and this enables their dispersal over distances of 4 or 5 m. "