Triteleia lugens
Endemic to California's Coast Ranges, this corm-bearing perennial features two to three basal leaves up to 40 cm and an erect stem up to 40 cm bearing an umbel-like cluster of yellow, dark-veined, funnel-shaped flowers that bloom in spring, with a disjunct distribution from counties north of San Francisco Bay to Monterey/San Benito counties.
Common Names
Coast Range Triteleia, Dark-Mouthed Triteleia
Summary
Coast Range triteleia is a California-endemic perennial herb that grows from a corm. It has 2–3 basal leaves up to 40 cm long and 1 cm wide, and an erect smooth stem up to 40 cm tall, supporting an umbel-like cluster of many funnel-shaped flowers. The six yellow tepals are under 1 cm long with dark veins and vary from paler yellow in northern populations to deeper golden in southern ones; six stamens bear yellow or blue anthers. It blooms in spring (Mar–Jun) in forests and chaparral of the Coast Ranges north and south of the San Francisco Bay Area.
Cultivation: best in full sun to part shade; sandy/clay loam soil with medium-slow drainage; tolerates temperatures down to 34°F; germination requires no treatment. Uses: suitable for mass plantings with other geophytes and annuals in meadows, rock gardens, and containers, and for bee and butterfly gardens.
Lifecycle
Perennial
Height
4-15.5 inches
Sunlight Requirements
Ideally full sun to partial shade.
Soil Type
Sandy/clay loam soil with medium-slow drainage
Soil Drainage
Medium-slow drainage
Bloom Color
Yellow (pale yellow to golden; varies by region)
Bloom Time
Spring
Leaf Lifecycle
Deciduous
Seasons of Interest
Spring and Summer
Propagation Methods
Division (via daughter corms and cormlets)
Attracts Wildlife
Attracts bees and butterflies
Taxonomy
- Taxonomic Rank
- Species
- Author
- Greene
- Publication
- Bull. Calif. Acad. Sci. 2(6): 142 (1886)
Superior Taxa
- Kingdom
- Plantae
- Subkingdom
- Pteridobiotina
- Phylum
- Angiosperms
- Order
- Asparagales
- Family
- Asparagaceae
- Genus
- Triteleia
Synonyms
Brodiaea lutea var. lugens Calliprora ixioides var. lugens Calliprora lugens Brodiaea lugens Brodiaea ixioides var. lugens Hookera ixioides var. lugens