Scientific Family
Liliaceae
Plant type
Forbs and Subshrubs
Origin
Native
Lifecycle
Perennial
Height
4 inches to 2 feet
Riparian
No
Native perennial with grass-like basal leaves and a few smaller leaves on upright, branched stems. Flowers are about 2 inches wide with 3 white to purplish petals and dark anthers.
Petals whitish to purple; glands round to crescent-shaped, surrounded by a narrow, deeply fringed membrane on all edges but the base, and densely covered with short hairs, these apically thickened and branching.
Habitat
Dry soils.
Plant Community
Pinyon Juniper Woodlands
Montane Conifer Forest
Interior Chaparral
Grasslands
Desert Scrub
Low elevation
3000
High elevation
8000
Flower Characteristics
White to purplish flowers have 3 petals, depressed petal glands and dark anthers. Flowers subtended by 2 to 3 leafy bracts. Each petal has a narrow median purple blotch that extends across the petal.
Flower color
White to purplish
Flower shape
Regular
Tubular
No
First bloom month
April
Last bloom month
August
Flower clusters
None
Leaf and Stem Characteristics
Grass-like basal leaves are 2 to 3 inches long and have a lengthwise groove. There are only a few smaller stem leaves. Basal leaves wither before the plant blossoms.
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf color
Green
Leaf shape
Narrow
Leaf margin
Smooth
Leaves clasp
No
Leaf hairs
None
Spines
No
Fruit and Seed Characteristics
Capsules are erect, linear-oblong and 3-celled.
Fruit type
Capsule
Fruit color
Brown
Seeds are flat.