Blue funnel lily facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Blue funnel lily |
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| Androstephium coeruleum | |
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The Blue funnel lily (Androstephium coeruleum) is a pretty wild flower. It grows from a special underground stem called a corm. This plant has light blue to purple flowers. It can grow up to about 35 centimeters (14 inches) tall.
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Where Does the Blue Funnel Lily Grow?
You can find the blue funnel lily growing in prairies and on grassy slopes. It is native to parts of the United States. These areas include Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas.
How Does the Blue Funnel Lily Grow?
The blue funnel lily is one of the first prairie flowers to bloom each year. In North Central Texas, it starts to appear in February and flowers in March.
Its flowers can be different shapes and colors. They range from sky blue to purple, and sometimes even white. They also have a faint, sweet smell that some people say is like grapes.
This plant is not very common in its natural home. It grows in black soil prairies. It can be hard to spot among the other short grasses.
The plant makes thin, flat black seeds. These seeds are carried away by the wind. When a new plant starts to grow, it looks like a single thin green leaf. It can be hard to find among the tall prairie grasses.
Over several years, the plant's corm pulls itself deeper into the soil. It can reach a depth of 2.5 to 6 centimeters (1 to 2.5 inches).
What Were Its Uses?
Long ago, people in West Texas used to eat the corm of the blue funnel lily.
Gallery
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Blue funnel lily developing fruit
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Blue funnel lily dehiscent fruit
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Blue funnel lily seed
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Blue funnel lily seedlings
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Blue funnel lily corm
See also
In Spanish: Androstephium caeruleum para niños
