Brodiaea insignis
Encyclopedia
Brodiaea insignis is a rare species of flowering plant in the cluster-lily genus
known by the common name Kaweah brodiaea. It is endemic to the Sierra Nevada foothills of central Tulare County, California
, where it grows along the Tule
and Kaweah River
s. It is considered endangered
on the state level.
up to 25 centimeters tall which bears purple to pinkish flowers on long pedicels
. Each flower has a narrow cylindrical tube which opens into a flat face of six tepal
s, each 1 to 1.5 centimeters long. In the center of the flower are three fertile stamen
s and three staminodes, which are flat, white sterile stamens, each with a two-pointed tip.
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 name Kaweah brodiaea. It is endemic to the Sierra Nevada foothills of central Tulare County, California
Tulare County, California
Tulare County is a county located in the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California, south of Fresno. Sequoia National Park is located in the county, as are part of Kings Canyon National Park, in its northeast corner , and part of Mount Whitney, on its eastern border...
, where it grows along the Tule
Tule River
The Tule River, also called Rio de San Pedro or Rio San Pedro, is a river in Tulare County in the U.S. state of California. The river originates in the Sierra Nevada east of Porterville and consists of three forks, North, Middle and South. The North Fork and Middle Fork meet above Springville. The...
and Kaweah River
Kaweah River
The Kaweah River in the U.S. state of California flows westward from the foothills of the Sierra Nevada into the Central Valley. It rises in forks in the southern Sierra Nevada inside Sequoia National Park, the longest of which is the Middle Fork, about long...
s. It is considered endangered
Endangered species
An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...
on the state level.
Description
This perennial produces an inflorescenceInflorescence
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 25 centimeters tall which bears purple to pinkish flowers on long 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....
. Each flower has a narrow cylindrical tube which opens into a flat face of six 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, each 1 to 1.5 centimeters long. In the center of the flower are three fertile stamen
Stamen
The stamen is the pollen producing reproductive organ of a flower...
s and three staminodes, which are flat, white sterile stamens, each with a two-pointed tip.