THE TRILLIUM FAMILY (Melanthiaceae)

Melanthiaceae is a family of flowering perennial herbs native to the Northern Hemisphere. They commonly overwinter in the form of rhizomes or tubers. Early authors considered members of this monocot family to belong to the family Liliaceae, in part because both their sepals and petals closely resemble each other and flowers are often large and showy like those of lilies, while others taxonomists place them in a family Trilliaceae. Familiar members of the family include Herb Paris (Paris quadrifolia) and the trilliums.

Leaves are parallel-veined as usual for monocots although in the wider leaves of Herb Paris (the example we find in the Lobau) they form a network that may obscure the underlying parallel-veined structure. Herb Paris, presents an exception to many of the distinguishing features of the family and so is not a typical member. Flower parts are 4-merous instead of the 3-merous form usual in other members, there is a single flower instead of the spike-like inflorescences of others and so on. The German name ‘Vierblaettrige Einbeere’ refers to another unusual feature; the four leaves arranged in a cross with a single berry on a tall stem in the centre at the fruiting stage

(source: Wikipedia)