Brodiaea terrestris

Dwarf brodiaea

Family: Themidaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Dwarf brodiaea is a California native perennial found in open grasslands and oak woodlands, typically at low to moderate elevations. Flowering from May to June, this delicate plant produces violet to white flowers with recurved tips, forming slender clusters on thin scapes 5 to 20 centimeters tall. Growing with a slender, graceful form, it emerges from an underground corm with narrow, grass-like stems. Its flowers feature distinctive white to violet staminodes that lean toward but do not touch the stamens, creating an intricate floral structure. The perianth is narrow bell-shaped, measuring 15 to 39.5 millimeters long with lobes 10 to 24 millimeters in length.

California counties: Humboldt, Marin, Monterey, San Diego, Kern, Riverside, Sonoma, Merced, Glenn, Mendocino, San Luis Obispo, San Francisco, San Bernardino, San Benito, San Mateo, Solano

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.