Common Star Lily
Encyclopedia
Zigadenus fremontii, known as the common star lily, Frémont's deathcamas (after John C. Frémont
) or star zigadene, is an attractive wildflower found on grassy or woody slopes, or rocky outcrops, in many lower-lying regions of California
, southern Oregon
, and northern Baja California
. Like other deathcamas
es, Z. fremontii grows from a more or less spherical bulb, which in this species has a diameter of 20–35 mm. Its leaves can reach up to half a metre in length, but are normally more like half that. They grow from the base of the plant. Flowers, which can be seen from March to June, grow in clusters. They have six petals (strictly, three petals and three very similar sepals), arranged symmetrically, giving rise to the name star-lily. Each flower is 1–4 cm across.
It has been proposed to move this and a number of other deathcamases to genus Toxicoscordion, but there is not yet a consensus among taxonomists that this should be done.
John C. Frémont
John Charles Frémont , was an American military officer, explorer, and the first candidate of the anti-slavery Republican Party for the office of President of the United States. During the 1840s, that era's penny press accorded Frémont the sobriquet The Pathfinder...
) or star zigadene, is an attractive wildflower found on grassy or woody slopes, or rocky outcrops, in many lower-lying regions 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...
, southern 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...
, and northern Baja California
Baja California
Baja California officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is both the northernmost and westernmost state of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North...
. Like other deathcamas
Deathcamas
Zigadenus is a genus of flowering plants in the family Melanthiaceae. As currently described in the research literature, it is monotypic, including only the Sandbog Deathcamas, Zigadenus glaberrimus...
es, Z. fremontii grows from a more or less spherical bulb, which in this species has a diameter of 20–35 mm. Its leaves can reach up to half a metre in length, but are normally more like half that. They grow from the base of the plant. Flowers, which can be seen from March to June, grow in clusters. They have six petals (strictly, three petals and three very similar sepals), arranged symmetrically, giving rise to the name star-lily. Each flower is 1–4 cm across.
It has been proposed to move this and a number of other deathcamases to genus Toxicoscordion, but there is not yet a consensus among taxonomists that this should be done.
External links
- Jepson manual species treatment
- http://elib.cs.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?where-genre=Plant&testing=123&rel-taxon=contains&where-taxon=zigadenus+fremontii&rel-namesoup=contains&where-namesoup=&where-lifeform=any&rel-location=like&where-location=&rel-country=eq&where-country=any&rel-state=eq&where-state=any&where-county=any&where-collectn=any&rel-photographer=eq&where-photographer=any&rel-kwid=equals&where-kwid=Images from the CalPhotos photographic archive]