Bloomeria crocea, also known as
Goldenstar, is a geophyte of the
ThemidaceaeThemidaceae is the botanical name of a family of flowering plants. Such a family is recognised by only few taxonomists.The APG II system does not recognize this family as such, but allows it to be segregated from the family Asparagaceae, as an optional segregate. This represents a change from the...
from
CaliforniaCalifornia is the most populous state in the United States, and the third largest by area. California is the second most populous sub-national entity in the Americas, behind only São Paulo, Brazil...
and northern
Baja CaliforniaBaja California is both the northernmost and westernmost state of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North Territory of Baja California. It has an area of , or 3.57% of the land mass of Mexico and comprises the northern half of the Baja California peninsula, north...
. It is found along hillsides, in
grasslandGrasslands are areas where the vegetation is dominated by grasses and other herbaceous plants . However, sedge and rush families can also be found. Grasslands occur naturally on all continents except Antarctica...
and
chaparralChaparral is a shrubland or heathland plant community found primarily in the U.S. state of California and in the northern portion of the Baja California peninsula, Mexico. It is shaped by a Mediterranean climate and wildfire...
edges, and in dry flats. Growing in full sun, itt prefers porous soil and semi-dry conditions. Its distribution ranges along the south coast from
Santa Barbara CountySanta Barbara County is a county located on the Pacific coast of the southern portion of the U.S. state of California, just west of Ventura County. As of 2000 the county had a population of 399,347. The estimated total population of Santa Barbara County as of January 2006 was 421,625, according to...
and western
Kern CountyKern County is a county located in the southern Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. Established in 1866, it extends east beyond the southern slope of the eastern Sierra Nevada range into the Mojave Desert, and includes parts of the Indian Wells Valley, and the Antelope Valley, and has...
down to Baja California. It is also found on the California Channel Islands.
The corm has a fibrous exterior and usually produces only one leaf.
Discussion
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Bloomeria crocea, also known as
Goldenstar, is a geophyte of the
ThemidaceaeThemidaceae is the botanical name of a family of flowering plants. Such a family is recognised by only few taxonomists.The APG II system does not recognize this family as such, but allows it to be segregated from the family Asparagaceae, as an optional segregate. This represents a change from the...
from
CaliforniaCalifornia is the most populous state in the United States, and the third largest by area. California is the second most populous sub-national entity in the Americas, behind only São Paulo, Brazil...
and northern
Baja CaliforniaBaja California is both the northernmost and westernmost state of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North Territory of Baja California. It has an area of , or 3.57% of the land mass of Mexico and comprises the northern half of the Baja California peninsula, north...
. It is found along hillsides, in
grasslandGrasslands are areas where the vegetation is dominated by grasses and other herbaceous plants . However, sedge and rush families can also be found. Grasslands occur naturally on all continents except Antarctica...
and
chaparralChaparral is a shrubland or heathland plant community found primarily in the U.S. state of California and in the northern portion of the Baja California peninsula, Mexico. It is shaped by a Mediterranean climate and wildfire...
edges, and in dry flats. Growing in full sun, itt prefers porous soil and semi-dry conditions. Its distribution ranges along the south coast from
Santa Barbara CountySanta Barbara County is a county located on the Pacific coast of the southern portion of the U.S. state of California, just west of Ventura County. As of 2000 the county had a population of 399,347. The estimated total population of Santa Barbara County as of January 2006 was 421,625, according to...
and western
Kern CountyKern County is a county located in the southern Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. Established in 1866, it extends east beyond the southern slope of the eastern Sierra Nevada range into the Mojave Desert, and includes parts of the Indian Wells Valley, and the Antelope Valley, and has...
down to Baja California. It is also found on the California Channel Islands.
Morphology
The corm has a fibrous exterior and usually produces only one leaf. Plants produce six-
petalA petal is one member or part of the corolla of a flower. The corolla is the name for all of the petals of a flower; the inner perianth whorl, term used when this is not the same in appearance as the outermost whorl and is used to attract pollinators based on its bright color...
ed golden
flowerA flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to mediate the union of male sperm with female ovum in order to produce seeds...
s that are clustered in a loose
umbelAn umbel is an inflorescence which consists of a number of short flower stalks which are equal in length and spread from a common point, somewhat like umbrella ribs....
. When the three-lobed stigma is fertilized,
Bloomeria produces
capsuleIn botany a capsule is a type of simple, dry fruit produced by many species of flowering plants. A capsule is a dehiscent structure composed of two or more carpels, that, at maturity, split apart to release the seeds within...
s that contain small black
seedA seed , referred to as a kernel in some plants, is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...
s. The seeds then require three to four years to become a mature plant.
Sources
- Growing California Native Plants. 1980. Marjorie G. Schmidt.
- Jepson Flora Project: Jepson Interchange. Copyright © 1993 by the Regents of the University of California [web application]. Treatment from the Jepson Manual. Website: http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?8349,8435,8436
- USDA, NRCS. 2006. The PLANTS Database, Version 3.5 (http://plants.usda.gov). Data compiled from various sources by Mark W. Skinner. National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.