Triteleia lilacina
Encyclopedia
Triteleia 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 are two or three basal leaves measuring up to 40 centimeters long by 2 wide. The inflorescence
arises on an erect stem up to 60 centimeters tall. It is an umbel
-like cluster of several flowers each borne on a pedicel
up to 5 centimeters long. The white flower is somewhat bowl-shaped with shiny, glasslike vesicles in the center. The six stamen
s have purplish anthers.
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 endemic to 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...
, 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
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 ....
. There are two or three basal leaves measuring up to 40 centimeters long by 2 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 60 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 5 centimeters long. The white flower is somewhat bowl-shaped with shiny, glasslike vesicles in the center. The six stamen
Stamen
The stamen is the pollen producing reproductive organ of a flower...
s have purplish anthers.