Trillium chloropetalum is a perennial herbaceous plant that blooms from late February to early or mid April. The petal color is variable, from dark red to white. Like other Trillium species the leaves and flowers are grouped in threes. It is clump-forming and prefers a shady woodland habitat.
The variety Trillium chloropetalum var. giganteum, with its deep maroon flower petals, gained the Award of Garden Merit (AGM) from the Royal Horticultural Society in 1993.