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fool's-onion, hyacinth brodiaea, hyacinth cluster-lily, hyacinth triteleia, white brodiaea, white triteleia, wild hyacinth

Dudley's triplet lily, Dudley's triteleia

Leaves

10–40 cm × 4–22 mm.

10–30 cm × 3–11 mm.

Scape

30–60 cm, smooth to scabrous.

10–35 cm, smooth.

Flowers

perianth white, sometimes flushed purple abaxially, 9–16 mm, tube shallowly bowl-shaped, 2–4 mm, lobes ascending to spreading, with green midvein, 7–12 mm, 2–3 times longer than tube;

stamens attached at 1 level, equal;

filaments usually triangular-dilated, 2–4 mm, apical appendages absent;

anthers whitish to yellow, rarely blue, 1–2 mm;

ovary twice as long as stipe;

pedicel 0.5–5 cm.

perianth pale yellow, drying purplish, 18–24 mm, tube ± cylindrical to narrowly funnelform, 8–12 mm, lobes spreading, lanceolate, 8–12 mm;

stamens attached at 1 level, unequal, alternately long and short;

filaments dilated entire length or narrowly triangular, 2 or 3.5 mm, sometimes with short, blunt apical appendages;

anthers lavender, 1 mm;

ovary equal to or longer than stipe;

pedicel slender, 1.5–4 cm.

2n

= 28, 84.

= 16.

Triteleia hyacinthina

Triteleia dudleyi

Phenology Flowering spring (Mar–Jun). Flowering summer (Jul).
Habitat Grasslands, vernally wet meadows, occasionally on drier slopes Subalpine forests, black soils
Elevation 0–2000 m (0–6600 ft) 3000–3500 m (9800–11500 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; ID; NV; OR; WA; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Triteleia hyacinthina is one of the most widely distributed members of the genus, common in low, moist places such as meadows, vernal pools, and along streams, and found occasionally in drier valley grasslands, foothill woodlands, and closed-cone pine forests. It is cytologically and morphologically variable, with large-flowered forms found in wet places; smaller, scabrous forms found in dry places; forms with rather long pedicels (sometimes recognized as var. lactea); and forms with filaments lacking dilated triangular bases. Most plants have white flowers, but a few interesting forms with restricted distributions have lilac, blue, or even purple flowers. Triteleia ×versicolor Hoover is a sterile hybrid of T. ixioides and T. hyacinthina found in Monterey. Triteleia lilacina is recognized here as a species distinct from T. hyacinthina because of its different base chromosome number (2n = 16) and presence of hyaline vesicles (R. F. Hoover 1955).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 26, p. 342. FNA vol. 26, p. 340.
Parent taxa Liliaceae > Triteleia Liliaceae > Triteleia
Sibling taxa
T. bridgesii, T. clementina, T. crocea, T. dudleyi, T. grandiflora, T. hendersonii, T. ixioides, T. laxa, T. lemmoniae, T. lilacina, T. lugens, T. montana, T. peduncularis
T. bridgesii, T. clementina, T. crocea, T. grandiflora, T. hendersonii, T. hyacinthina, T. ixioides, T. laxa, T. lemmoniae, T. lilacina, T. lugens, T. montana, T. peduncularis
Synonyms Hesperoscordum hyacinthinum, Allium lacteum, Allium tilingii, Brodiaea dissimulata, Brodiaea hyacinthina, Brodiaea hyacinthina var. lactea, Brodiaea hyacinthina var. lilacina, Brodiaea lactea, Brodiaea lactea var. lilacina, Hesperoscordum lacteum, Hesperoscordum lewisii, Hookera hyacinthina, Hookera hyacinthina var. lactea, Milla hyacinthina, Milla hyacinthina var. lactea, T. lactea, Veatchia crystallina Brodiaea dudleyi
Name authority (Lindley) Greene: Bull. Calif. Acad. Sci. 2: 142. (1886) Hoover: Amer. Midl. Naturalist 25: 86. (1941)
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