Triteleia montana

Mountain triteleia

Family: Themidaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Mountain triteleia is a California native perennial found in northern and central Sierra Nevada Highlands in open montane conifer forest, gravelly plains, and granite ridges at elevations of 1,200 to 3,000 meters. Flowering from June to July, this plant produces yellow flowers aging to purple, with funnel-shaped perianths 12 to 17 millimeters long featuring distinctive brown midveins. Growing with slender scapes 5 to 25 centimeters tall that are slightly rough-textured, it emerges from narrow leaves 10 to 30 centimeters long and 2 to 5 millimeters wide. Its leaves are linear and grass-like, emerging from a basal cluster. The flowers have cream to blue anthers and lobes that spread approximately 8 to 10 millimeters wide, creating a delicate, star-like arrangement.

Habitat: Open montane conifer forest, gravelly plains, granite ridges

Bloom period: Jun-Jul

Elevation: 1200-3000 m

Bioregions: n&ampc SNH.

California counties: Plumas, Lassen, Mono, Nevada, Alpine, Stanislaus, Mariposa, Sierra, Tuolumne, Shasta, Fresno, Butte, El Dorado, Madera

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