Genetic Sampling of Trillium sp.

Trillium is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Trilliaceae. 38 species of Trillium reside in North America, and 22 species of Trillium are native to Georgia. Twelve of these species are considered rare. They can be identified by the presence of three petals and three sepals. This study focuses on phylogenetic relationships within a clade of sessile Trillium centered on south Georgia, and north Florida, sometimes called the “silverback clade”, after the presence of a silver stripe on the leaves. The bulk of species sampled included T. decipiens, T. reliquum, and T. underwoodii, and a potentially undescribed entity dubbed “Trillium reconditum”. The group contains several species of conservation concern, including a federally endangered entity. Chloroform extractions were performed on the samples to obtain DNA, which was then suspended in nuclease-free water. Furthermore, the samples were quantified using the NanoDrop spectrophotometer and Qubit fluorometer. The samples were sent for genome sequencing via DArTseq services. Genotype sequencing will allow the relationships between the species to be observed, as well as holding potential for functional genomics and other analyses.