Bloomeria crocea

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Bloomeria crocea
Bloomeria crocea near Pomona, California
Bloomeria crocea near Pomona, California
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Liliopsida
Order: Asparagales
Family: Themidaceae
Genus: Bloomeria
Species: Bloomeria crocea
Binomial name
Bloomeria crocea
(Torr.) Coville

Bloomeria crocea, also known as Goldenstar, is a geophyte of the Themidaceae from California and northern Baja California.

[edit] Habitat

Bloomeria crocea is found along hillsides, in grassland and chaparral edges, and in dry flats. Growing in full sun, itt prefers porous soil and semi-dry conditions. Its distribution ranges along the south coast from Santa Barbara County and western Kern County down to Baja California. It is also found on the California Channel Islands.

[edit] Morphology

The corm has a fibrous exterior and usually produces only one leaf. Plants produce six-petaled golden flowers that are clustered in a loose umbel. When the three-lobed stigma is fertilized, Bloomeria produces capsules that contain small black seeds. The seeds then require three to four years to become a mature plant.

[edit] Sources

  • Growing California Native Plants. 1980. Marjorie G. Schmidt.
  • Jepson Flora Project: Jepson Interchange. Copyright © 1993 by the Regents of the University of California [web application]. Treatment from the Jepson Manual. Website: http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?8349,8435,8436
  • USDA, NRCS. 2006. The PLANTS Database, Version 3.5 (http://plants.usda.gov). Data compiled from various sources by Mark W. Skinner. National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.