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Trillium erectum

Common name:	Beth Root	Family:	Trilliaceae
Author:	L.	Botanical references:	43, 200
Synonyms:
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	Eastern N. America - Quebec to Ontario and Michigan, south to Tennessee.
Habitat:	Rich soils in damp and shady woodlands[4].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	2	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	3

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	T. erectum var. album[B,P] T. erectum var. flavum[B,P] T. pendulum[E,H,HORTIPLEX]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	American Beth Root [E], American Birthroot [E], Amerikaanse Drielingenwortel [E], Amerikanische Drillingswurzel [E], Beth Herb [E], Bethroot [H,E], Birthroot [H,E], Drielingenkruid [E], Drillingskraut [E], Ground Lily [H], Indian Balm [H], Indian Shamrock [H], Lamb's Quarters [H], Purple Trillium [S], Red Trillium [P], Stinking-benjamin [B], Trillie Americain [E], Trilling Herb [E], Trillium, Purple [S], Troix Jumeaux [E], Wake-Robin [H],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	erectum = erect rectum = erect
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	France Germany Netherlands Us Us(Amerindian) Us(Appalachia)

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 0.4m by 0.3m . It is hardy to zone 4. It is in flower from May to June. The scented flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Flies. We rate it 2/5 for edibility and 3/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in full shade (deep woodland) semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Dappled Shade, Shady Edge, Deep Shade.

Edible Uses

Leaves.

Leaves - raw or cooked. Used in spring[207], the young unfolding leaves are an excellent addition to the salad bowl, tasting somewhat like sunflower seeds[183]. Leaves can also be cooked as a potherb[183].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Antiseptic Aphrodisiac Astringent Birthing aid Expectorant Poultice Tonic Uterine tonic.

Beth root was traditionally used by various native North American Indian tribes as a woman's herb to aid childbirth, as a treatment for irregular menstrual periods, period pains and excessive vaginal discharge[254]. Modern research has shown that the root contains steroidal saponins, which have hormonal effects on the body[222, 238]. These saponins are being used in gynaecological and obstetric medicine[238]. This herb should not be taken during pregnancy except under professional supervision[254].
The root is antiseptic, aphrodisiac, astringent, expectorant, tonic, uterine tonic[4, 46, 61, 165, 222, 238]. It is used internally in the treatment of a wide range of women's complaints including haemorrhage from the uterus, urinary tract and lungs, and also to curb excessive menstruation[238]. It has proved to be of value in stopping bleeding after parturition[244]. Externally, it is used to treat excessive vaginal discharge, ulcers (especially varicose), skin complaints, gangrene, insect bites and stings[238, 244]. It is also used as a wash for sore nipples[244]. The root is harvested in late summer, after the leaves have died down, and is dried for later use[213, 238].
The whole plant is used as a poultice for tumours, inflammations and ulcers[222].

We have a more details factsheet on the history and medicinal use of this plant. Email webmaster@pfaf.org for details.

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

Prefers a deep well-drained woodland or humus-rich soil in a somewhat shady position that remains moist in the summer[1, 42]. Prefers a neutral to slightly acid soil[200]. Grows well in open deciduous woodland[1, 90]. Succeeds in a sunny position if the soil does not dry out[42]. Succeeds in deep shade[188].
A very hardy plant, tolerating temperatures down to about -35° c[238].
Plants are long-lived[233]. Any transplanting is best done whilst the plants are in flower[200].
A very variable species[200], it is subject to mutation[90].
Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer or rabbits[233], though slugs are very fond of the leaves[238].
The flowers have an unattractive smell rather like putrefied flesh[42, 207, 245]. The white-flowered form, blandum, is almost scentless[245].
Plants can flower in two years from seed[138].

Propagation

Seed - best sown in a shaded cold frame as soon as it is ripe[134, 200]. Stored seed should be sown in late winter or early spring. Seed usually germinates within 1 - 3 months at 15° c. Another report says that seeds produce a root after the first cold stratification but no shoot is produced until after a second winter[138], whilst yet another report says that the seed can take 3 years to germinate[238]. The seedlings are prone to damp off and must therefore be watered with care and given plenty of fresh air[138]. The young plants need to be overwintered in a cold frame for the first year and can then be planted out in late spring. It is very important that the pots become neither too dry nor too wet[138].
Division with care when the plants die down after flowering[200]. Larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found that it is best to pot up smaller divisions and grow them on in light shade in a greenhouse or cold frame until they are growing away well. Plant them out in the following spring.

Scent

Flowers: Fresh: The flowers have an unattractive smell of putrefied flesh[245]. The white-flowered form, blandum, is almost scentless[245].

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

Details of Medicinal Uses, Habitats, etc. in M. Grieve A Modern Herbal (1931) [4]
[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[S] Illustration from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
[S] Illustration from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
[S] Illustration from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
[S] Image from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Trillium pendulum (a possible synonym).

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.

[42] Grey. C. H. Hardy Bulbs. Williams & Norgate. 1938
Rather dated now, but an immense work on bulbs for temperate zones and how to grow them. Three large volumes.

[43] Fernald. M. L. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co. 1950
A bit dated but good and concise flora of the eastern part of N. America.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[90] Phillips. R. and Rix. M. Bulbs Pan Books 1989 ISBN 0-330-30253-1
Superbly illustrated, it gives brief details on cultivation and native habitat.

[134] Rice. G. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 2. Thompson and Morgan. 1988
Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation. An interesting article on Ensete ventricosum.

[138] Bird. R. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 3. Thompson and Morgan. 1989
Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation.

[165] Mills. S. Y. The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism.
An excellent small herbal.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[188] Brickell. C. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd. 1990 ISBN 0-86318-386-7
Excellent range of photographs, some cultivation details but very little information on plant uses.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[207] Coffey. T. The History and Folklore of North American Wild Flowers. Facts on File. 1993 ISBN 0-8160-2624-6
A nice read, lots of information on plant uses.

[213] Weiner. M. A. Earth Medicine, Earth Food. Ballantine Books 1980 ISBN 0-449-90589-6
A nice book to read though it is difficult to look up individual plants since the book is divided into separate sections dealing with the different medicinal uses plus a section on edible plants. Common names are used instead of botanical.

[222] Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1990 ISBN 0395467225
A concise book dealing with almost 500 species. A line drawing of each plant is included plus colour photographs of about 100 species. Very good as a field guide, it only gives brief details about the plants medicinal properties.

[233] Thomas. G. S. Perennial Garden Plants J. M. Dent & Sons, London. 1990 ISBN 0 460 86048 8
A concise guide to a wide range of perennials. Lots of cultivation guides, very little on plant uses.

[238] Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.

[244] Phillips. R. & Foy. N. Herbs Pan Books Ltd. London. 1990 ISBN 0-330-30725-8
Deals with all types of herbs including medicinal, culinary, scented and dye plants. Excellent photographs with quite good information on each plant.

[245] Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8
An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.

[254] Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants Dorling Kindersley. London 1996 ISBN 9-780751-303148
An excellent guide to over 500 of the more well known medicinal herbs from around the world.

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
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We make no claims of magical effects or supernatural powers for any item in this catalog. In spite of legendary attributes or occult and craft tradition, such items are offered as curios only and beliefs concerning their magical effectiveness are related only for historical interest.