Brodiaea elegans
Encyclopedia
Brodiaea elegans is a species of flowering plant in the cluster-lily genus
known by the common names harvest brodiaea and elegant cluster-lily. It is native to the mountain ranges of California
and Oregon
, where it grows in woodlands and meadows. This perennial produces a stout stemlike inflorescence
up to 50 centimeters tall. It bears showy flowers on pedicels
up to 10 centimeters long. Each flower has six curving tepal
s up to 3 centimeters long in shades of bright purple. In the center of the flower are white or pale purple sterile stamen
s known as staminodes; these are flat with pointed or toothed tips and between one half and one centimeter in length. Next to these are the fertile stamens topped with large anthers. In Northern California, Brodiaea elegans is one of the later blooming wildflowers, often seen in May.
Brodiaea
Brodiaea is a monocot genus of flowering plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Brodiaeoideae, also known by the common name cluster-lilies...
known by the common names harvest brodiaea and elegant cluster-lily. It is native to the mountain ranges of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, where it grows in woodlands and meadows. This perennial produces a stout stemlike inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
up to 50 centimeters tall. It bears showy flowers on pedicels
Pedicel (botany)
A pedicel is a stem that attaches single flowers to the main stem of the inflorescence. It is the branches or stalks that hold each flower in an inflorescence that contains more than one flower....
up to 10 centimeters long. Each flower has six curving tepal
Tepal
Tepals are elements of the perianth, or outer part of a flower, which include the petals or sepals. The term tepal is more often applied specifically when all segments of the perianth are of similar shape and color, or undifferentiated, which is called perigone...
s up to 3 centimeters long in shades of bright purple. In the center of the flower are white or pale purple sterile stamen
Stamen
The stamen is the pollen producing reproductive organ of a flower...
s known as staminodes; these are flat with pointed or toothed tips and between one half and one centimeter in length. Next to these are the fertile stamens topped with large anthers. In Northern California, Brodiaea elegans is one of the later blooming wildflowers, often seen in May.