and spontaneously throughout the range of the species. Thus the distinct taxa recognized by Gates were fully realized by 1922. POWO cites the Flora of North America (FNA) as an authority for Trillium erectum var. album . The treatment of the variety in FNA expands the original concept described by Michaux to include the occasional white-flowered red trillium found throughout the range of the species. Under this scheme, all non-white petal colors (including yellow) comprise the typical variety (var. erectum). Thus FNA lumps the two forms recognized by Gates into a single taxon. In contrast, the treatment given in the Flora of the Southeastern United States (FSUS) aligns with Michaux by describing a white-flowered variety of T. erectum restricted to the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, specifically, in North Carolina and Tennessee. FSUS suggests that variety album may be genetically distinct from variety erectum, while other evidence suggests there is little genetic difference between the two varieties. Distribution Trillium erectum is native to eastern North America. Its range extends from northern Georgia in the southeastern United States to Quebec and New Brunswick in eastern Canada, and as far west as Michigan and southern Ontario. The species is known to occur in the following provinces and states: Canada: New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Quebec United States: Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia Trillium erectum var. album (as described in the Flora of the Southeastern United States) occurs in western North Carolina, eastern Tennessee, and other areas surrounding the Great Smoky Mountains, primarily at elevations less than . , Trillium erectum is globally secure. It is critically imperiled in Delaware, Illinois, and Rhode Island. Ecology Trillium erectum is a carrion-scented flower. It produces fetid or putrid odors purported to attract carrion fly and beetle pollinators. The fetid odor is described as that of a wet dog. The common name stinking benjamin refers to this characteristic of the plant. "Benjamin" is a corruption of the word benzoin, which itself is a corruption of the word "benjoin", a plant-based organic compound used in the manufacture of perfume. Despite the origins of the common name, the chemical basis of carrion-scented flowers is not well understood. Uses The root of the red trillium was used by various indigenous peoples of North America