Bloomeria I D

[Jim Barton]

I have Bloomeira labeled as B. coocea and B. humilis flowering which I cannot tell apart. I have tried keying them with the  Munz and Jepson keys with no success. I know at one time they were considered one species. Any observations on differentiation would be appreciate. Even if they are mislabeled I cannot tell which one they are.
Jim

[Martin Bohnet]

Hi Jim,

I've moved this to the Mystery Bulb area. Could you provide photos of those plants to help people sort things out?

[rupertclayton]

Hi Jim,

Yes, photos would be very helpful. In the wild, there three main things distinguish these two species:

• Bloomeria crocea has tepals (aka lobes) that spread out widely, whereas Bloomeria humilis has ascending tepals (rising up like a funnel, although the tepals are separate from each other and tend to curl out towards the tips).
• B. crocea has a tall scape (15–70 cm; 6–28 in); B. humilis is much shorter (5–10 cm; 2–4 in).
• B. humilis grows only on coastal bluffs near San Simeon; B. crocea grows throughout the Coast Ranges from Monterey to Baja California and also in the Transverse Ranges.

Obviously, point number 3 won't be much help in identifying your cultivated plants. The scape height will probably be a good indication, although it's possible that B. humilis may not be quite as short when growing in potting soil. And the form of the flower tube should be pretty reliable. If you can add photos taken from a couple of angles I'm sure we can get your plants IDed.

Rupert