Muilla coronata

Crowned muilla

Family: Themidaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 4.2

Crowned muilla is a California native perennial found in southern Sierra Nevada, Sierra Nevada east side, Mojave Desert, and expected in Tehachapi Mountains in open desert scrub and woodland at elevations of 1,000 to 1,600 meters. Flowering from March to April, this plant produces white to blue flowers with green midveins, arranged in small clusters with 2 to 10 blossoms. Growing with slender scapes 3 to 5 centimeters tall, it emerges from a bulb with distinctive characteristics. Its single leaf reaches 7 to 18 centimeters long, emerging from the base of the plant. The flowers feature an intriguing nectar tube with a cylindric crown, creating a unique structural element that distinguishes this delicate desert species.

Habitat: Open desert scrub, woodland

Bloom period: Mar-Apr

Elevation: 1000-1600 m

Bioregions: s SNH, SNE, DMoj, expected Teh

California counties: San Bernardino, Inyo, Tulare, Kern, Los Angeles, Riverside

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