Narthecium californicum
California bog asphodel
(c) Ken-ichi Ueda, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Nartheciaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Narthecium californicum (California bog asphodel) is a native California herb in the Nartheciaceae family, recognized by Represents the small family Nartheciaceae (bog asphodels) with disjunct distribution in northern and montane regions.
California bog asphodel is a California native perennial found in the Klamath Ranges, northern Coast Ranges, high Cascade Range, and northern and central Sierra Nevada Mountains in wet meadows and along streambanks at elevations of 700 to 2,600 meters. Flowering from July to August, this plant produces golden-yellow flowers in slender, upright inflorescences 8 to 15 centimeters long. Growing with erect stems 20 to 60 centimeters tall, it forms distinctive basal leaf clusters emerging from the ground. Its long, grass-like basal leaves extend 10 to 30 centimeters, creating a delicate architectural structure in wet mountain habitats. The fruit is lance-shaped, approximately twice the length of its perianth, bearing distinctive seed heads with bristle-tipped seeds 6 to 9 millimeters long.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: Represents the small family Nartheciaceae (bog asphodels) with disjunct distribution in northern and montane regions
Habitat and range
Habitat: Wet meadows, streambanks
Elevation: 700-2600 m
California counties: Mendocino, Fresno, Del Norte, Siskiyou, Plumas, Trinity, Tulare, Humboldt, El Dorado, Lassen, Butte, San Bernardino, Mariposa, Shasta, Sierra, Nevada, Tuolumne, Inyo
Bloom period
Narthecium californicum blooms Jul-Aug.
How to tell it apart
vs Triantha: False-asphodel clusters white flowers in a tight head atop a glandular-sticky stem; Narthecium spaces bright yellow star-flowers along an open raceme and its filaments are woolly-hairy.; vs Sisyrinchium: Blue-eyed grass has flattened winged stems and few flowers opening for a day; Narthecium has a round scape and a raceme of many small 6-tepaled yellow flowers.; vs Iris: Irises bear large flowers with 3 drooping sepals and 3 erect petals; Narthecium flowers are small (5--10 mm), star-shaped, with 6 similar tepals.; vs Toxicoscordion: Death-camas grows from a bulb with greenish-white flowers in a panicle; Narthecium grows from a creeping rhizome in bogs with bright yellow flowers.; vs Hastingsia: Rush-lily has a bulb and a slender raceme of whitish flowers; Narthecium is rhizomatous with yellow, woolly-filamented flowers.
Frequently asked questions
Is Narthecium californicum native to California?
Yes. Narthecium californicum is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Narthecium californicum bloom?
Narthecium californicum blooms Jul-Aug.
Where in California does Narthecium californicum grow?
Narthecium californicum occurs in Mendocino, Fresno, Del Norte, Siskiyou, Plumas, Trinity, Tulare, Humboldt and other counties, at elevations of 700-2600 m.
What plant family does Narthecium californicum belong to?
Narthecium californicum is in the Nartheciaceae family, genus Narthecium.
What habitat does Narthecium californicum grow in?
Narthecium californicum grows in Wet meadows, streambanks.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.