Petals usually dark reddish maroon to purplish, fading purple with age, sometimes cream, yellow, pale green, pink, or white (see discussion).

Flowering spring (early--late Apr and May). Cool, rich, moist, neutral to acidic soils of upland deciduous forests, mixed deciduous-coniferous forests, coniferous swamp borders; 200--700 m; N.B., N.S., Ont., Que.; Conn., Del., Ga., Ill., Ind., Ky., Maine, Md., Mass., Mich., N.H., N.J., N.Y., N.C., Ohio, Pa., R.I., S.C., Tenn., Vt., Va., W.Va.

Variety erectum is more common than var. album over much of the species range, especially above 450 m; at lower elevations in the south it is largely replaced by var. album. Plants with yellow, pale green, pink, or white petals occasionally occur throughout the range.