Triteleia bridgesii
Triteleia laxa
Bridges' brodiaea, Bridges' triteleia
common triteleia, grass nut, Ithuriel's spear, triplet lily, wally basket
20–55 cm × 3–10 mm.
20–40 cm × 4–25 mm.
10–60 cm, smooth except sometimes scabrous near base.
10–70 cm, smooth or scabrous near base.
perianth lilac, bluish purple, pink, or reddish purple, 27–45 mm, tube strongly attenuate with slender base, 17–25 mm, hyaline vescicles present in tube, lobes abruptly spreading, 10–20 mm, shorter than tube;
stamens attached at 1 level, equal;
filaments triangular, widened toward base, 3–4 mm, apical appendages absent;
anthers bluish, 3.5–4.5 mm;
ovary 1/4–1/3 length of stipe;
pedicel 2–9 cm.
perianth usually pale blue, sometimes deep bluish purple or white, 18–47 mm, tube attenuate at base, 12–25 mm, lobes gradually spreading, 8–20 mm;
stamens attached alternately at 2 levels, horizontal and curved upward at apex, nearly equal;
filaments linear, 3–6 mm, apical appendages present near base of adnate portion of filaments, membranous;
anthers white to bluish, 2–5 mm, apex blunt to tapered;
ovary 1/3–1/2 as long as stipe, either central or along proximal side of flower;
pedicel ascending or spreading, often bent at apex, 1–10 cm.
= 16.
= 16, 18, 28 (30), 32, 42, 48.
Triteleia bridgesii
Triteleia laxa
Triteleia bridgesii is similar to T. laxa and in herbarium specimens can be distinguished only by the stamens. However, in fresh flowers, the perianth lobes of T. bridgesii spread abruptly from the throat of the perianth tube, unlike those of T. laxa, and the flowers of T. bridgesii are erect, while those of T. laxa are oriented horizontally. Triteleia bridgesii flowers a month earlier than T. laxa where they both occur in the Sierra Nevada foothills. The flowers in specimens of T. bridgesii from Humboldt County are unusually long, which accounts for the wide ranges of measurements for the perianth.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Triteleia laxa is very common at low altitudes in central California, growing under a variety of ecological conditions, with wide attendant variation, especially in flower size. It could be considered a species complex (like T. ixioides) made up of many forms, with consistent differences in chromosome number and in the size and shape of the anthers (M. P. Burbanck 1944). The flowers can be quite large or small, and usually are pale blue, but sometimes are white or deep bluish purple. These morphologies often intergrade, making it difficult to recognize formal varieties.
This species may occur in southwestern Oregon, but documentation of its presence there is lacking.
Triteleia ×tubergenii L. W. Lenz is a cultivated amphidiploid hybrid between T. laxa and T. peduncularis (L. W. Lenz 1970).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
CA
OR
Flora NW
PNW Herbaria
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
