Triteleia species J-Z are featured on this wiki page.
Triteleia Hybrids — Triteleia A-G — Triteleia H-I — Triteleia index
Triteleia laxa is found between 0 and 4600 feet (0 to 1500 meters) in a variety of habitats such as mixed evergreen forests, grassland, foothill woodland, and chaparral throughout much of California and into Oregon. There is much variation in color and form. Photo 1 shows a plant grown from wild collected seed sold by Ron Ratko. Photo 2 is of a lighter form that was planted in a raised bed for about 12 years and increased well. This raised bed received no water in summer and was rarely fertilized. This species also looks good planted with Bloomeria crocea which blooms at about the same time. Photo 3 illustrates them growing together. Photo 4 is a photo of the corms of a form that multiples very rapidly as you can see. Photo 1 was taken by Bob Rutemoeller, 2-4 were taken by Mary Sue Ittner. Photos 5-6 were taken by Nhu Nguyen.
Photo #1 is a habitat shot taken in Sonoma County, California. This plant is blooming in the drying grass July 2004. Photo #2 was taken near the Pacific Ocean in Mendocino County, California. Photos #1-2 were taken by Bob Rutemoeller. Photos #3-5 are of habitat shots were taken in three different counties in April 2005. Photo #3 was taken at Bear Valley, Colusa County. Photo #4 is a mountain form with large flowers seen in Kern County. Photo #5 is a form with light colored flowers growing with Collinsia in Mariposa County. Photos #3-5 were taken by Mary Sue Ittner.
Photos #1-2 were taken at the north entrance to Mt. Diablo State Park, California. It is the largest mass blooming of this species I have ever seen! Photos #3-4 were taken on Ring Mountain in Marin Co. CA. This beautiful dark purple form can also be found on the San Francisco peninsula. Photos by Nhu Nguyen.
The first three pictures were taken near Vina, California (Tehama County) in April 2006 where we watched butterflies (black Pipevine Swallowtails) pollinating the flowers (and in one picture there looks like a second pollinator too. The last was taken in still another county (Butte) of California. It was taken at Bidwell Park in Chico and shows a rare white flower next to the normal blue flowers. Photos by Mary Sue Ittner and Bob Rutemoeller.
Triteleia laxa 'Humbolt Star' - a wild selection by Jim Robinett, garden photo by Mark McDonough, 2002. Jim's catalog description: "Unlike most forms of T. laxa, these bulbs simply become huge rather than producing many offsets. Blooms in early summer. Grown from seeds collected in Humbolt county (California) at 2400 feet in full sun".
Triteleia laxa 'Queen Fabiola' blooms reliably each year in full sun or dappled shade garden beds. Photos 1-3 June 2007 and corms on a 1 cm grid in 2011 by M. Gastil-Buhl.
Triteleia laxa 'Rudy Kleiner' discovered by Boltha in the Netherlands. It probably was just a seedling that was striking. Flower photo by Jan van den Berg. Photo of corms on a 1 cm grid by M. Gastil-Buhl.
Triteleia laxa 'Sierra Giant' is a new form available to gardeners from Telos Rare Bulbs. It is suggested to be a polyploid (chromosomal duplication), which often results in gigantism. The 6" diameter inflorescence is held up by a ~20" peduncle. Grown and photographed by Nhu Nguyen
Triteleia lemmonae is a species that is endemic to Arizona where it grows in sparse pine woodland at elevations between 5000 and 7000 feet (1524-2134 meters). It has bright yellow flowers fading purplish with arrowhead-shaped anthers. These plants were raised from seed collected by Southwest Native Seeds and are flowering in late spring in Tasmania. Grown and photographed by Rob Hamilton.
Triteleia lilacina is found on the volcanic tablelands in the northern and central Sierra foothills of California between 229 and 492 feet (70 -150 meters). It was previously known as Brodiaea hyacinthina var. greenei. It has small flowers with an inner surface of glassy shine from tiny glass like beads. It has folded petal edges, which make its tips appear pointed, purple anthers, and a yellow green ovary. It blooms April to May. Photo by Bob Rutemoeller. This species has very distinctive corms. Photo by Mary Sue Ittner of corms shown on a 1 cm. square grid.
The first three pictures below taken by Mary Sue Ittner show some wild populations of this species in the native area of Bidwell Park in Chico, California. Pictures show it growing next to an unknown vetch, being pollinated, and a close-up of the umbel. The last shows it growing on the very thin soils of Table Mountain in Butte County surrounded by annuals. Photo by Bob Rutemoeller.
Triteleia lugens , commonly known as Coast Range triteleia is found in dry, sunny to partially shaded, clayey, forested or brushy places between 328 and 3280 feet (100- 1000 meters). Although rare, it is found in scattered locations in California. Flowers have a funnel shaped tube and are deep to pale yellow, striped dark. The filaments are unequal (1-2 or 2-3 mm.), broadly triangular shaped, and are all attached at the same level. The anthers are yellow or blue. Photos taken by Mary Sue Ittner at Pinnacles National Monument in April 2005 where it was growing along a shady trail with Collinsia heterophylla and Viola pedunculata.
Triteleia montana is found on gravelly soil on granitic substrate in ridge habitats in open montane forests between 4000 and 9800 feet (1200-3000 meters) in northern to central Sierra Nevada (California). The first picture is of one flowering in the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens collection photographed by Kristina Van Wert. The last two photos by Mary Sue Ittner are of flowers and corms of garden plants grown from seed.
Seen in April 2005 growing on a rocky ledge in Kern County, California. Photo by Mary Sue Ittner.
Triteleia peduncularis, (formerly known as Brodiaea eastwoodii) occurs along the coast of Northern and Central California from Humboldt to Monterey counties and is usually found in vernally wet habitats such as swales, marshes, and temporary streams. The bowl-shaped flowers are white, often flushed purplish on the outside or with indigo stripes on the back or occasionally pale rose-purple. The ovary is yellow. In the wild this plant blooms from May to July. In the garden in my experience it needs a lot of water late in spring or it will go dormant without blooming. The first photo below shows the widely spaced umbel with each flower held on a long wiry pedicel and the next two photos are close-up. The first three photos by Bob Rutemoeller. The last taken by Mary Sue Ittner shows the corms of a variety that produces a lot of small cormlets around the corm photographed on a 1 cm. square grid.
Flowering June 2006 in Stornetta Public lands, these plants did not have the long pedicel which so often is used as a distinguishing characteristic of this species. Photos by Bob Rutemoeller and Mary Sue Ittner showing the yellow ovary and distinctive markings on the back.
Triteleia Hybrids — Triteleia A-G — Triteleia H-I — Triteleia index