Triteleia laxa

Bentham

Trans. Hort. Soc. London, ser. 2, 1: 413, plate 15, fig. 2. 1835.

Common names: Ithuriel’s spear grass nut common triteleia
Endemic
Synonyms: Brodiaea candida (Greene) Baker Brodiaea laxa (Bentham) S. Watson Brodiaea laxa var. candida (Greene) Jepson Brodiaea laxa var. nimia Jepson Brodiaea laxa var. tracyi Jepson Hookera laxa Borzí Milla laxa A. Heller Seubertia laxa Greene Seubertia obscura Triteleia angustiflora Triteleia candida
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 26. Treatment on page 344. Mentioned on page 339, 340, 346.

Leaves 20–40 cm × 4–25 mm. Scape 10–70 cm, smooth or scabrous near base. Flowers: perianth usually pale blue, sometimes deep bluish purple or white, 18–47 mm, tube attenuate at base, 12–25 mm, lobes gradually spreading, 8–20 mm; stamens attached alternately at 2 levels, horizontal and curved upward at apex, nearly equal; filaments linear, 3–6 mm, apical appendages present near base of adnate portion of filaments, membranous; anthers white to bluish, 2–5 mm, apex blunt to tapered; ovary 1/3–1/2 as long as stipe, either central or along proximal side of flower; pedicel ascending or spreading, often bent at apex, 1–10 cm. 2n = 16, 18, 28 (30), 32, 42, 48.


Phenology: Flowering spring (Apr–Jun).
Habitat: Open forests, mixed conifer or foothill woodlands, grasslands on clay soil
Elevation: 0–1500 m

Discussion

Triteleia laxa is very common at low altitudes in central California, growing under a variety of ecological conditions, with wide attendant variation, especially in flower size. It could be considered a species complex (like T. ixioides) made up of many forms, with consistent differences in chromosome number and in the size and shape of the anthers (M. P. Burbanck 1944). The flowers can be quite large or small, and usually are pale blue, but sometimes are white or deep bluish purple. These morphologies often intergrade, making it difficult to recognize formal varieties.

This species may occur in southwestern Oregon, but documentation of its presence there is lacking.

Triteleia ×tubergenii L. W. Lenz is a cultivated amphidiploid hybrid between T. laxa and T. peduncularis (L. W. Lenz 1970).

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"broad" is not a number."thicker" is not a number.

... more about "Triteleia laxa"
48 +, 42 +, 32 +, 28 +, 18 +  and 16 +
white +  and bluish +
cordate +  and linear +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br />) +
blunt +  and tapered +
J. Chris Pires +
Bentham +
whorled +, opposite +  and alternate +
triangle +
reticulate-veined +  and parallel-veined +
channeled +, keeled +  and lanceolate +
sheathing +  and involucrate +
1;several +
lanceolate +
tunicate +  and scaly +
Ithuriel’s spear +, grass nut +  and common triteleia +
fibrous-coated +
0–1500 m +
adnate +  and distinct +
connate-coroniform +  and dilated +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br />) +
sessile +  and pedicellate +
unisexual +  and bisexual +
loculicidal +
membranaceous +  and leathery +
Open forests, mixed conifer or foothill woodlands, grasslands on clay soil +
bracteate +, open +  and umbellate +
paired +, paniculate +  and racemose +
persistent +
20 cm200 mm <br />0.2 m <br /> (40 cm400 mm <br />0.4 m <br />) +
0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br /> (2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br />) +
colored +  and green +
along proximal side +  and central +
1/3 +  and 1/2 +
2;several +
spreading +  and ascending +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (10 cm100 mm <br />0.1 m <br />) +
white +, bluish purple +, deep +  and pale blue +
1.8 cm18 mm <br />0.018 m <br /> (4.7 cm47 mm <br />0.047 m <br />) +
Flowering spring (Apr–Jun). +
dilated +  and flattened +
Trans. Hort. Soc. London, ser. +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br />) +
cylindrical +
10 cm100 mm <br />0.1 m <br /> (70 cm700 mm <br />0.7 m <br />) +
wind-distributed +
1 +  and many +
rounded +, subglobose +  and ridged +
granulate +
adnate +  and free +
epitepalous +
1 +  and several +
3 +  and 1 +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br />) +
Brodiaea candida +, Brodiaea laxa +, Brodiaea laxa var. candida +, Brodiaea laxa var. nimia +, Brodiaea laxa var. tracyi +, Hookera laxa +, Milla laxa +, Seubertia laxa +, Seubertia obscura +, Triteleia angustiflora +  and Triteleia candida +
Triteleia laxa +
Triteleia +
species +
connate +  and distinct +
sepaloid +  and petaloid +
attenuate +
1.2 cm12 mm <br />0.012 m <br /> (2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br />) +
narrower +
3 +  and 2 +