The Trillium Collections at Mt. Cuba Center

Amy Highland, Mt. Cuba Center

Trillium experts from across the United States gathered together at Mt. Cuba Center in Hockessin, Delaware in October 2019. We all mused on the irony of being in a beautiful garden while storms trapped us indoors. We took advantage of the unprecedented gathering of botanical knowledge to assess the current state of the genus in the wild. In those rainy days, we saw the beauty and value of Mt. Cuba Center’s Trillium Collections in a way most visitors cannot. The phenotypes, metadata, history, the commitment to the genus were all recognized as critically important. As we talked through each species, the conversation gradually turned from one of loss and destruction, to one of future needs and action. Actions such as the continued development of ex situ collections in conservation gardens around the world.

The Trillium Collection at Mt. Cuba Center began in the 1960s with the diminutive Trillium nivale. Our founder, Mrs. Pamela Copeland, was passionate about this uncommon wildflower and worked with Mt. Cuba’s first director, Dr. Richard Lighty, to lay the foundations of our research ambitions. Repeated generations of leaders at Mt. Cuba Center have committed to this genus, creating a renowned and stately collection. In nearly 60 years of stewardship, the collection has grown to comprise 90 taxa represented by 463 accessions, including intergeneric hybrids, celebrated cultivars, and rare color forms. Wild documented mother lines round out the collection with much needed data and distinct genetic variability.

Over the years, prominent accessions were donated by Fred and Roberta Case, who authored the authoritative volume, Trillium, and named the beautiful double-form Trillium grandiflorum ‘Pamela Copeland’ for our founder, as a testament to their connection and mutual respect. Other notable additions originated from Louise Smith’s Alabama home, and showcase the variation in the mottled, silver foliage of many sessile Trillium. These early partnerships not only added depth and interest to our Trillium collection, they demonstrated the ability of the collection to bring people together and create communities.

Working with our partners in conservation and horticulture, we bring together a collection of forms and ecotypes; turning our inspiring gardens into a living laboratory and productive seed bank.Threats and environmental demands are converging to push these valuable plants into decline in the wild. Mt. Cuba Center acts as an ark, an observer, and a source of restoration materials. While also inspiring and motivating visitors to care about nature and the world around us through stunning Trillium displays.

Mt. Cuba Center’s commitment to Trillium continues today and we are happy to join our partners to develop these vital species assessments. Truly great collections, built over time, tell us a good deal about ourselves and what we value. In these last few decades, botanical gardens have seen a shift in our living collections to include more plants of conservation concern, more plants native to the environments from which they came, and more interest in understanding the interactions among living things. We are delighted to witness this time of conservation action perpetuated by our gardens and the efforts of the Trillium Working Group.