Triteleia hendersonii
Triteleia laxa
Henderson's stars, Henderson's triteleia, yellow tiger-lily
common triteleia, grass nut, Ithuriel's spear, triplet lily, wally basket
15–40 cm × 3–12 mm.
20–40 cm × 4–25 mm.
10–35 cm, smooth or slightly scabrous near base.
10–70 cm, smooth or scabrous near base.
perianth yellow or white, often tinged or fading blue, 18–26 mm, tube slenderly funnelform, moderately attenuate at base, 6–10 mm, lobes widely spreading, with conspicuous dark purple midvein, 12–16 mm, ca. twice as long as tube;
stamens attached at 1 level, nearly equal;
filaments narrowly subulate, 3–4 mm, apical appendages absent;
anthers blue or sometimes white, 1.5–2 mm;
ovary 1/2 as long as stipe;
pedicel 1.5–4 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.
= 32.
= 16, 18, 28 (30), 32, 42, 48.
Triteleia hendersonii
Triteleia laxa
Triteleia hendersonii is common within its restricted range. The plants previously recognized as var. leachiae, or separately as T. leachiae, differ primarily in having a white perianth and are limited to Curry County, Oregon. Intermediates have been found, and further study of this variation is required to determine whether formal recognition of infraspecific taxa is warranted.
(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
