Bloomeria humilis
Encyclopedia
Bloomeria humilis is a rare species of flowering plant that is known by the common name dwarf goldenstar. It is endemic to San Luis Obispo County, California
, where it is known from only one occurrence on the coastline near San Simeon
. It is a plant of the local chaparral
and coastal grassland. It is a perennial herb growing from a corm
and producing one or two narrow leaves up to 10 centimeters long. The inflorescence
is up to 8 or 10 centimeters tall and bears several flowers, each on a pedicel
. The flower has six brown-stippled yellow tepal
s each up to a centimeter long. The fruit is a capsule about half a centimeter in length.
San Luis Obispo County, California
San Luis Obispo County is a county located along the Pacific Ocean in the Central Coast of the U.S. state of California, between Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area. As of the 2010 census its population was 269,637, up from 246,681 at the 2000 census...
, where it is known from only one occurrence on the coastline near San Simeon
San Simeon, California
San Simeon is a census-designated place on the Pacific coast of San Luis Obispo County, California. Its position along State Route 1 is approximately halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco, each of those cities being roughly 230 mi away...
. It is a plant of the local chaparral
Chaparral
Chaparral 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...
and coastal grassland. It is a perennial herb growing from a corm
Corm
A corm is a short, vertical, swollen underground plant stem that serves as a storage organ used by some plants to survive winter or other adverse conditions such as summer drought and heat ....
and producing one or two narrow leaves up to 10 centimeters long. The inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
is up to 8 or 10 centimeters tall and bears several flowers, each on a pedicel
Pedicel (botany)
A pedicel is a stem that attaches single flowers to the main stem of the inflorescence. It is the branches or stalks that hold each flower in an inflorescence that contains more than one flower....
. The flower has six brown-stippled yellow tepal
Tepal
Tepals are elements of the perianth, or outer part of a flower, which include the petals or sepals. The term tepal is more often applied specifically when all segments of the perianth are of similar shape and color, or undifferentiated, which is called perigone...
s each up to a centimeter long. The fruit is a capsule about half a centimeter in length.