Under construction
Another Trillium fruit – this time the Painted Trillium. Fully mature, the fruit are bright red but this one is not quite there yet. You can see the different parts of the flower very distinctly in this photo. The purplish threads attached to the base of the fruit are the stamen, the male reproductive bits. The 3 white filaments coming out of the fruit are the stigma. They capture the pollen, triggering the development of a pollen tube. Those tubes act like a conduit, channelling the sperm to the ovule. Once fertilization occurs, the ovule balloons in size and the ovary matures into a ripened fruit. In general, Trillium require pollen from another plant in order to produce fruit (outcrossing). Some species, however, show potential for individual plants to self-fertilize (self-compatibility).
lbm photography 