Triplet lily
Encyclopedia
Triteleia is a genus of monocotyledon
flowering plant
s also known as triplet lilies. Species are native to western North America
, from British Columbia
southwards, with the ranges of some species reaching to Guatemala
. However they are most common in California
. They are perennial plant
s growing from a fibrous corm
, roughly spherical in shape. They get their name from the fact that all parts of their flowers come in threes.
of this genus are problematic in two ways.
First, different current systems place the genus in three different families. The Angiosperm Phylogeny Group
in the 2009
revision place it in family
Asparagaceae
, subfamily Brodiaeoideae (having previously placed it in the possibly distinct Themidaceae
). Other modern authors place it in the family Alliaceae
. All these families are in the order Asparagales
. However, older but still widely used sources such as ITIS
place the Tripletlilies in the family Liliaceae
, in the order Liliales
.
The second difficulty is taxonomical
; some common species that are now placed in genus Triteleia were formerly placed in genus Brodiaea
, and as a consequence "brodiaea" has been incorporated into some of their common names. About 15-20 species
are currently recognised in Triteleia, with several of them having well defined subspecies
or varieties
that have different common names.
Monocotyledon
Monocotyledons, also known as monocots, are one of two major groups of flowering plants that are traditionally recognized, the other being dicotyledons, or dicots. Monocot seedlings typically have one cotyledon , in contrast to the two cotyledons typical of dicots...
flowering plant
Flowering plant
The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...
s also known as triplet lilies. Species are native to western North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, from British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
southwards, with the ranges of some species reaching to Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
. However they are most common in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. They are perennial plant
Perennial plant
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives for more than two years. The term is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter lived annuals and biennials. The term is sometimes misused by commercial gardeners or horticulturalists to describe only herbaceous perennials...
s growing from a fibrous 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 ....
, roughly spherical in shape. They get their name from the fact that all parts of their flowers come in threes.
Taxonomy and systematics
The systematicsSystematics
Biological systematics is the study of the diversification of terrestrial life, both past and present, and the relationships among living things through time. Relationships are visualized as evolutionary trees...
of this genus are problematic in two ways.
First, different current systems place the genus in three different families. The Angiosperm Phylogeny Group
Angiosperm Phylogeny Group
The Angiosperm Phylogeny Group, or APG, refers to an informal international group of systematic botanists who came together to try to establish a consensus on the taxonomy of flowering plants that would reflect new knowledge about plant relationships discovered through phylogenetic studies., three...
in the 2009
APG III system
The APG III system of flowering plant classification is the third version of a modern, mostly molecular-based, system of plant taxonomy...
revision place it in family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Asparagaceae
Asparagaceae
Asparagaceae is the botanical name of a family of flowering plants, placed in the order Asparagales of the monocots.In earlier classification systems, the species involved were often treated as belonging to the family Liliaceae...
, subfamily Brodiaeoideae (having previously placed it in the possibly distinct Themidaceae
Themidaceae
Brodiaeoideae is a monocot subfamily of flowering plants in the family Asparagaceae, order Asparagales. It has been treated as a separate family, Themidaceae. They are native to Central America and western North America, from British Columbia to Guatemala...
). Other modern authors place it in the family Alliaceae
Alliaceae
Allioideae is the botanical name of a monocot subfamily of flowering plants in the family Amaryllidaceae, order Asparagales. It was formerly treated as a separate family, Alliaceae...
. All these families are in the order Asparagales
Asparagales
Asparagales is the name of an order of plants, used in modern classification systems such as the APG III system . The order takes its name from the family Asparagaceae and is placed in the monocots. The order has only recently been recognized in classification systems...
. However, older but still widely used sources such as ITIS
Integrated Taxonomic Information System
The Integrated Taxonomic Information System is a partnership designed to provide consistent and reliable information on the taxonomy of biological species. ITIS was originally formed in 1996 as an interagency group within the U.S...
place the Tripletlilies in the family Liliaceae
Liliaceae
The Liliaceae, or the lily family, is a family of monocotyledons in the order Liliales. Plants in this family have linear leaves, mostly with parallel veins but with several having net venation , and flower arranged in threes. Several have bulbs, while others have rhizomes...
, in the order Liliales
Liliales
Liliales is an order of monocotyledonous flowering plants. This order of necessity includes the family Liliaceae, but both the family and the order have had a widely disputed history, with the circumscription varying greatly from one taxonomist to another...
.
The second difficulty is taxonomical
Taxonomy
Taxonomy is the science of identifying and naming species, and arranging them into a classification. The field of taxonomy, sometimes referred to as "biological taxonomy", revolves around the description and use of taxonomic units, known as taxa...
; some common species that are now placed in genus Triteleia were formerly placed in genus Brodiaea
Brodiaea
Brodiaea is a monocot genus of flowering plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Brodiaeoideae, also known by the common name cluster-lilies...
, and as a consequence "brodiaea" has been incorporated into some of their common names. About 15-20 species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
are currently recognised in Triteleia, with several of them having well defined subspecies
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
or varieties
Variety (biology)
In botanical nomenclature, variety is a taxonomic rank below that of species: as such, it gets a three-part infraspecific name....
that have different common names.
- Triteleia bridgesiiTriteleia bridgesiiThe triplet lily Triteleia bridgesii is known by the common name Bridges' brodiaea. It is found in the foothills and low elevation mountains of California and Oregon, often in areas of serpentine soil....
– Bridges' Brodiaea - Triteleia clementinaTriteleia clementinaTriteleia clementina is a rare species of flowering plant known by the common name San Clemente Island triteleia. It is endemic to San Clemente Island, one of the Channel Islands of California, where it is known from about twenty occurrences. Its habitat includes moist, rocky, seaside grassland. It...
– San Clemente Island Tripletlily - Triteleia croceaTriteleia croceaTriteleia crocea, the Yellow Tripletlily or Yellow Triteleia, is a monocot flowering plant in the genus Triteleia. It is native to southern Oregon and northern California, where it occurs in mountain ranges such as the Klamath Mountains and the southernmost slopes of the Cascade Range. Its habitat...
– Yellow Tripletlily- Triteleia crocea var. crocea
- Triteleia crocea var. modesta
- Triteleia dudleyiTriteleia dudleyiTriteleia dudleyi is a species of flowering plant known by the common name Dudley's triteleia. It is endemic to California, where it is known from sections of the High Sierra Nevada and the Transverse Ranges. It is a plant of subalpine climates, growing in mountain forests. It is a perennial herb...
– Dudley's Tripletlily - Triteleia grandifloraTriteleia grandifloraTriteleia grandiflora is a species of flowering plant known by the common name largeflower triteleia. It is native to western North America from British Columbia to northern California, with disjunct populations occurring in Wyoming and Colorado. Its habitat includes grassland, sagebrush,...
– Largeflower Tripletlily, Wild Hyacinth- Triteleia grandiflora var. grandiflora
- Triteleia grandiflora var. howellii
- Triteleia guadalupensis
- Triteleia hendersonii
- Triteleia hendersonii var. hendersonii – Henderson's Tripletlily
- Triteleia hendersonii var. leachiae – Leach's Tripletlily
- Triteleia hyacinthinaTriteleia hyacinthinaTriteleia hyacinthina is a species of flowering plant known by the common names white brodiaea and fool's onion. It is native to western North America from British Columbia to Idaho to central California. Its habitat includes grassland and vernally moist areas such as meadows and vernal pools. It...
– White Tripletlily, Hyacinth Brodiaea, Fool's Onion - Triteleia ixioidesTriteleia ixioidesTriteleia ixioides, known as Prettyface, is a monocotyledon flowering plant in the genus Triteleia. It is native to northern and central California and southwestern Oregon, where it can be found in coastal and inland coniferous forests and other habitat. It is a perennial wildflower growing from a...
– Prettyface- Triteleia ixioides ssp. anilina
- Triteleia ixioides ssp. cookii – Cook's Prettyface
- Triteleia ixioides ssp. ixioides – Golden Brodiaea
- Triteleia ixioides ssp. scabra
- Triteleia ixioides ssp. unifolia
- Triteleia ixioides ssp. uniofolia
- Triteleia laxaTriteleia laxaTriteleia laxa is a triplet lily known by several common names, including Ithuriel's spear and grassnut. It is native to California where it is a common wildflower, and it is occasionally found in Oregon. It bears a tall, naked stem topped with a spray of smaller stalks, each ending in a purple or...
– Ithuriel's Spear, Grassnut - Triteleia lemmoniae – Oak Creek Tripletlily
- Triteleia lilacinaTriteleia lilacinaTriteleia lilacina is a monocot flowering plant in the genus Triteleia. It is endemic to California, where it is limited to the Central Valley and adjacent Sierra Nevada foothills. It occurs on dry hillsides, especially with volcanic soils. It is a perennial wildflower growing from a corm. There...
- Triteleia lugensTriteleia lugensTriteleia lugens, the Coast Range Triteleia, is a monocot flowering plant in the genus Triteleia. It is endemic to California, where it is known from the Coast Ranges north and south of the San Francisco Bay Area. Its habitat includes forests and chaparral.-Description:It is a perennial wildflower...
– Coast Range Tripletlily - Triteleia montanaTriteleia montanaTriteleia montana is a monocot flowering plant in the genus Triteleia. Its common names include Sierra triteleia and mountain triteleia. It is endemic to California, where it is limited to the Sierra Nevada. It occurs in coniferous forests on granite soils. It is a perennial wildflower growing from...
- Triteleia peduncularisTriteleia peduncularisTriteleia peduncularis is a monocot flowering plant in the genus Triteleia. Its common names include longray triteleia. It is endemic to California, where it occurs in the coastal and inland mountain ranges of the northern and central sections of the state. It grows in vernally moist habitat such...
– Longray Tripletlily - Triteleia unifolia – Oneflower Tripletlily
- Triteleia versicolor – Pinto Tripletlily