Trillium nivale Riddell (TRILLIACEAE)— Rockingham County: Approximately 4.0 km N of Keezletown, off of Mountain Valley Road, at the end of Walnut Hill Drive on forested hillside; elevation ca. 526 m; 30 March 2008. Conley K. McMullen 891 (photo) (JMUH).
Significance. This is the first collection of T. nivale (snow trillium) from Rockingham County, and the second report for Virginia. An earlier collection was made near Forks of Waters in Highland County by Charles E. Stevens on 17 April 1983 [Charles E. Stevens 18455 (VPI)]. The specific location listed by Stevens is ‘‘wooded, limestone bluff of South Branch Potomac River ca. 0.15 mi S of where West Virginia line crosses river.’’ Stevens lists the elevation as 2330 ft. Trillium nivale is also found in Pendleton County, West Virginia, which borders both Rockingham and Highland Counties. Although considered rare in West Virginia, it is also listed for the counties of Cabell, Grant, Preston, Randolph, and Tucker (Harmon et al. 2006). The Cabell County record was likely planted and has not been observed since the mid-1970s (Paul J. Harmon pers. comm.). Other states reporting T. nivale include Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, and Wisconsin (Case 2002). This species is found primarily at the southern edge of Pleistocene glaciation, and tends to prefer areas devoid of humus, leaf litter, and other plants (Case 2002