White brodiaea facts for kids
Quick facts for kids White brodiaea |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Scientific classification | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Triteleia hyacinthia |
Triteleia hyacinthina is a beautiful flowering plant. It is known by several common names. These include white brodiaea and white tripletlily. Some people also call it hyacinth brodiaea or fool's onion.
This plant grows naturally in western North America. You can find it from British Columbia in Canada down to Idaho and central California in the United States. It likes to grow in open areas. These include grasslands and wet places like meadows and vernal pools. Vernal pools are temporary ponds that fill with water in spring.
Contents
About the White Brodiaea Plant
The white brodiaea is a type of perennial plant. This means it lives for more than two years. It grows from a special underground stem called a corm. A corm looks a bit like a bulb.
Leaves and Stems
The plant usually grows two or three leaves. These leaves are at the base of the plant. They can be up to 40 centimeters (about 16 inches) long. They are also about 2 centimeters (less than an inch) wide.
A straight stem grows upwards from the corm. This stem can reach up to 60 centimeters (about 2 feet) tall. At the top of the stem, you will find a cluster of many flowers. This cluster looks like an umbel, which is a shape like an umbrella.
Flowers of Triteleia Hyacinthina
Each flower has a funnel shape. It grows on a small stalk called a pedicel. This pedicel can be up to 5 centimeters (about 2 inches) long.
The flowers are usually white. They often have a light purple color near the center, where the petals join. Each flower has six tepals. Tepals are like petals and sepals combined. These tepals have green veins running through them.
Inside the flower, there are six stamens. Stamens are the parts that produce pollen. The anthers, which are the tips of the stamens, can be white, yellow, or sometimes blue.
Edible Parts
The corm, or underground bulb, of this plant is edible. You can eat it, but it does not smell like an onion. This is why one of its common names is "fool's onion."
