Bloomeria crocea

Taxobox
name = "Bloomeria crocea"

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image_width = 240px
image_caption = "Bloomeria crocea" near Pomona, California
regnum = Plantae
divisio = Magnoliophyta
classis = Liliopsida
ordo = Asparagales
familia = Themidaceae
genus = "Bloomeria"
species = "Bloomeria crocea"
binomial = "Bloomeria crocea"
binomial_authority = (Torr.) Coville

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

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.

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.