Muilla maritima
Corm-bearing perennial native to California and Baja California in the Asparagaceae, growing from a corm with basal leaves 0–60 cm long and an erect stem 0–0.5 m tall bearing an umbel of six-petaled green-tinged white flowers on pedicels, blooming February–July across brush, forest, rocky, grassland, desert, sand, riparian, and disturbed areas.
Common Names
Sea Muilla, Common Muilla
Summary
Sea muilla is a perennial geophyte native to California and Baja California, growing from a corm with basal, onionlike leaves. Plants reach 1–5 dm tall and feature a flowering stalk bearing an umbel of many greenish-white flowers with brown midveins; flowers have six tepals and six erect blue-, green-, or purplish anthers. It occurs in coastal scrub, grasslands, woodlands, and valleys from sea level to about 2300 m and tolerates diverse soils, including serpentine, alkaline, and granitic.
In cultivation it prefers full sun to partial shade and well-drained soil, is drought-tolerant, and seed propagation requires no treatment. It can be grown outdoors in USDA Zones 8a–10b, making it suitable for warm native or drought-tolerant landscape plantings; flowering occurs March through June.
Lifecycle
Perennial
Height
3-20 inches
Spread
less than 2 feet
Hardiness Zones
Zones 8a-10b
Sunlight Requirements
Ideally full sun to partial shade.
Soil Type
No single ideal soil; tolerates a wide range of soils, including serpentine, alkaline, or granitic soils, and well-draining soils.
Soil Drainage
Well-drained
Soil pH
pH above 7
Bloom Color
Greenish white
Bloom Time
Spring into Summer
Foliage Color
Green
Fall Foliage Color
Brown
Leaf Lifecycle
Deciduous
Growth Rate
Fast growth; doubles in size.
Seasons of Interest
Spring and Summer
Propagation Methods
Seeds (no treatment), Division
Attracts Wildlife
Attracts beetles seeking nectar
Taxonomy
- Taxonomic Rank
- Species
- Author
- (Torr.) S.Watson
- Publication
- Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts xiv. (1879) 235.
Superior Taxa
- Kingdom
- Plantae
- Subkingdom
- Pteridobiotina
- Phylum
- Angiosperms
- Order
- Asparagales
- Family
- Asparagaceae
- Genus
- Muilla