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mountain triteleia, Sierra triteleia, slender triplet lily

Triteleia bridgesii

Bridges' brodiaea, Bridges' triteleia

Leaves

10–30 cm × 2–5 mm.

20–55 cm × 3–10 mm.

Scape

5–20(–25) cm, ± scabrous.

10–60 cm, smooth except sometimes scabrous near base.

Flowers

perianth yellow, aging purple, 12–17 mm, tube slender, narrowly funnelform, attenuate at base, 4–7 mm, lobes somewhat spreading, with brown midvein, 8–10 mm, ca. twice as long as tube;

stamens attached at 1 level, equal;

filaments linear, 5–6 mm, more than 1/2 as long as perianth lobes, apical appendages absent;

anthers cream or blue, 1–1.5 mm;

ovary equal to stipe;

pedicel 0.5–3 cm.

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.

2n

= 16.

= 16.

Triteleia montana

Triteleia bridgesii

Phenology Flowering summer (Jun–Jul). Flowering spring (Apr–Jun).
Habitat Open montane coniferous forest, gravelly plains, granite ridges Foothills, yellow pines, mixed evergreen forests, often at forest edges and on rocks, dry bluffs, hillsides, mainly areas of serpentine
Elevation 1200–3000 m (3900–9800 ft) 0–100 m (0–300 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; OR
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Locally rather plentiful, Triteleia montana appears to have a disjunct distribution in the Sierra Nevada range north and south from Yosemite, though future collections may bridge the gap between the distributions currently indicated. Molecular data suggest that it is related to T. lemmoniae of Arizona (J. C. Pires 2000).

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

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.)

Source FNA vol. 26, p. 345. 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. hyacinthina, T. ixioides, T. laxa, T. lemmoniae, T. lilacina, T. lugens, T. peduncularis
T. clementina, T. crocea, T. dudleyi, T. grandiflora, T. hendersonii, T. hyacinthina, T. ixioides, T. laxa, T. lemmoniae, T. lilacina, T. lugens, T. montana, T. peduncularis
Synonyms Brodiaea gracilis, Hookera gracilis, T. gracilis Brodiaea bridgesii, Hookera bridgesii
Name authority Hoover: Amer. Midl. Naturalist 25: 95. (1941) (S. Watson) Greene: Bull. Calif. Acad. Sci. 2: 141. (1886)
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