Flower profile
Ozark green trillium
Trillium viridescens
Ozark green trillium (Trillium viridescens) is a flowering plant in the Melanthiaceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly April–May across the U.S.
Ozark green trillium is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. In Arkansas it's most often seen in bloom in April–May.
*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.
On our lists for: Arkansas
Quick look
Trillium viridescens, also known as the Ozark trillium or tapertip wakerobin, is a species of flowering plant in the family Melanthiaceae. It is found in parts of Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas and Louisiana. It usually grows in rich deciduous forests and mountain ranges where the soil is clayey and calcareous.
- It belongs to the Melanthiaceae family. iNaturalist
- USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a perennial life cycle. USDA PLANTS
- USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 5 states. USDA PLANTS
- NatureServe lists it as native to Arkansas. NatureServe
- In Arkansas, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in April–May. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 631 research-grade sightings of it in Arkansas, ranking #82 among the 170 flowers on our Arkansas list. iNaturalist
When does it bloom?
In Arkansas, most flowering sightings come in April–May.
Conservation status
- Federal (U.S. ESA)
- Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. USFWS ECOS
- NatureServe global
- G4 Apparently secure worldwide. NatureServe
- Arkansas
- No list Arkansas has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Arkansas ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Arkansas.
- Rare elsewhere
- Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: KS (S1), TX (S1). (S1 critically imperiled, S2 imperiled, SH possibly extirpated, SX presumed extirpated.)
Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.
Can you eat it?
None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.
It isn't on the ASPCA plant list.
🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.
Where does it grow?
USDA PLANTS records ozark green trillium in 5 states.
recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded
See the full list of states
Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas.
Arkansas counties with USDA records: Baxter, Benton, Boone, Carroll, Clark, Conway, Crawford, Franklin, Hempstead, Izard, Logan, Lonoke, Madison, Marion, Miller, Montgomery, Newton, Perry, Polk, Pope, Sebastian, Sevier, Stone, Van Buren, Washington, Yell.
Names, range and relatives
County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 41 counties across 5 states; the most are in Arkansas (26), Missouri (10), Texas (3).
Other Trillium on Bloomipedia (12): Pacific trillium, Large white trillium, Red trillium, Painted trillium, Prairie trillium, Toadshade, Little sweet betsy, Bashful wakerobin, Nodding trillium, Giant white wakerobin.
More from the Melanthiaceae family (18 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Green false hellebore, Corn lily, Fremont's death camas, Common beargrass, Mountain deathcamas, Meadow deathcamas.
More Arkansas flowers
Sources
- USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile TRVI5.
- iNaturalist, Trillium viridescens: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia, Trillium viridescens (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Arkansas: Arkansas State Plant Board noxious weeds and prohibited plants (2 CAR § 50-101).
- USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
- NatureServe Explorer, Trillium viridescens (global and state ranks).
- Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
- Photo: hr_dragonfly via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.