Triteleia ixioides
Encyclopedia
Triteleia 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 corm
. It produces one to two basal leaves up to 50 centimeters long by 1.5 wide. The inflorescence
arises on an erect stem up to 80 centimeters tall. It is an umbel
-like cluster of several flowers each borne on a pedicel
up to 7 centimeters long. The flowers are variable in size, measuring one to nearly three centimeters in length. They are pale to bright yellow, or sometimes purple-tinged white. There are six tepal
s with darker midveins in shades of green, brown, or purple. The lobes are funnel-shaped and may open flat or somewhat reflexed. The six stamen
s form a fused tube that protrudes from the corolla; they have broad, flat filaments and whitish, yellowish, or blue anthers.
There are about five subspecies: Triteleia ixioides subsp. anilina, Triteleia ixioides subsp. cookii (Cook's Prettyface), Triteleia ixioides subsp. ixioides (Golden Brodiaea), Triteleia ixioides subsp. scabra, and Triteleia ixioides subsp. unifolia.
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...
in the genus Triteleia. It is native to northern and central 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...
and southwestern Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, where it can be found in coastal and inland coniferous forests and other habitat. It is a perennial wildflower 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 ....
. It produces one to two basal leaves up to 50 centimeters long by 1.5 wide. 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...
arises on an erect stem up to 80 centimeters tall. It is an umbel
Umbel
An 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....
-like cluster of several flowers each borne 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....
up to 7 centimeters long. The flowers are variable in size, measuring one to nearly three centimeters in length. They are pale to bright yellow, or sometimes purple-tinged white. There are six 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 with darker midveins in shades of green, brown, or purple. The lobes are funnel-shaped and may open flat or somewhat reflexed. The six stamen
Stamen
The stamen is the pollen producing reproductive organ of a flower...
s form a fused tube that protrudes from the corolla; they have broad, flat filaments and whitish, yellowish, or blue anthers.
There are about five subspecies: Triteleia ixioides subsp. anilina, Triteleia ixioides subsp. cookii (Cook's Prettyface), Triteleia ixioides subsp. ixioides (Golden Brodiaea), Triteleia ixioides subsp. scabra, and Triteleia ixioides subsp. unifolia.