Hastingsia alba
Encyclopedia
Hastingsia alba is a species of flowering plant known by the common names white rushlily and white schoenolirion. It is native to northern California
and southern Oregon
, where it grows in wet places such as bog
s and mountain meadows. It grows from a black-coated bulb a few centimeters wide and produces erect stems 40 to 90 centimeters tall. There are several long, thin, bending leaves about the base of the plant and the stems are naked. The top of each stem is a dense, pointed inflorescence
of many flowers, with smaller inflorescences branching off lower levels of the stem. Each flower is cream or greenish-white with six curly, lilylike tepal
s. Each has six white stamen
s with large brown anthers. The flowers fall away to leave the fruits, which are green capsules containing black seeds.
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 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...
, where it grows in wet places such as bog
Bog
A bog, quagmire or mire is a wetland that accumulates acidic peat, a deposit of dead plant material—often mosses or, in Arctic climates, lichens....
s and mountain meadows. It grows from a black-coated bulb a few centimeters wide and produces erect stems 40 to 90 centimeters tall. There are several long, thin, bending leaves about the base of the plant and the stems are naked. The top of each stem is a dense, pointed 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...
of many flowers, with smaller inflorescences branching off lower levels of the stem. Each flower is cream or greenish-white with six curly, lilylike 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 has six white stamen
Stamen
The stamen is the pollen producing reproductive organ of a flower...
s with large brown anthers. The flowers fall away to leave the fruits, which are green capsules containing black seeds.