Chlorogalum parviflorum facts for kids

Chlorogalum parviflorum is a type of plant often called the smallflower soap plant. It's a perennial herb, which means it lives for more than two years.

This plant is a monocot, a group of flowering plants with seeds that have only one leaf. You can find it growing naturally in coastal southern California and Baja California. It's a common part of the coastal sage scrub habitat there.

What Does the Smallflower Soap Plant Look Like?

The smallflower soap plant is a wildflower that grows from a dark, round bulb. This bulb can be several centimeters wide, like a small onion. The leaves grow from the base of the plant and have wavy edges.

Flowers and Stems

The plant sends up a tall flower stalk, which can reach about 90 centimetres (35 in) (about 3 feet) high. This stalk holds many small flowers. The flowers are usually white or light pink and have dark lines on them.

Each flower has six petal-like parts called tepals. These tepals are less than a centimeter long. The flowers open up for only one day, which makes them special! Inside each flower, there are six stamens. These are the parts that hold pollen, and they have yellow tips called anthers.

Fruit

After the flower blooms, it forms a small fruit. This fruit is a capsule, which is a dry case that holds the seeds. It's only a few millimeters long.

Images for kids

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  This picture shows the leaves of the smallflower soap plant growing in a circle, called a rosette.