Brodiaea californica
A native California perennial with pale lavender flowers that bloom in late April to May, reaching about 1–2 ft tall and adapting to a wide range of garden soils.
Common Names
California Brodiaea, California Clusterlily
Summary
California brodiaea is native to California and Oregon, a bulb-forming perennial that grows as a deciduous herb reaching 8–28 inches tall, with linear basal leaves that shrivel by flowering. It features starburst-like umbels of funnel-shaped flowers on stout stems, typically white to pale pink and pale lavender, with 8–12 flowers per umbel, each 1–1.5 inches, blooming in late spring for about 3–4 weeks.
It thrives in full sun to partial shade with low to very low water needs, in well-drained, adaptable soils; natural settings include open grassy places with gravelly clay, and plant communities Foothill Woodland and Valley Grassland. Propagation is by seed with no treatment, and the plant is drought-tolerant once established with summer dormancy, making it suitable for native plantings and rock gardens.
Lifecycle
Perennial
Height
1-2 feet
Spread
6-12 inches
Hardiness Zones
Zones 6a-10b
Sunlight Requirements
Full Sun to Partial Shade.
Soil Type
Well-drained, gravelly or clay soils (serpentine).
Soil Drainage
Well-drained
Bloom Color
Purple, White, Lavender, Pink
Bloom Time
Spring
Foliage Color
Green to medium green
Fall Foliage Color
Green
Leaf Lifecycle
Deciduous
Growth Rate
Fast
Seasons of Interest
Spring, Summer
Propagation Methods
Seeds, Division
Attracts Wildlife
Attracts butterflies, Attracts hummingbirds
Taxonomy
- Taxonomic Rank
- Species
- Author
- Lindl. ex Lem.
- Publication
- Fl. Serres Jard. Eur. 5: 428b (1849)
Superior Taxa
- Kingdom
- Plantae
- Subkingdom
- Pteridobiotina
- Phylum
- Angiosperms
- Order
- Asparagales
- Family
- Asparagaceae
- Genus
- Brodiaea
Inferior Taxa
Brodiaea californica subsp. californica Brodiaea californica subsp. leptandra
Synonyms
Hookera californica Brodiaea grandiflora var. elatior Brodiaea californica var. californica