Brodiaea minor
Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 14: 236. 1879.
Common names: Dwarf brodiaea
Endemic
Basionym: Brodiaea grandiflora var. minor Bentham Pl. Hartw., 340. 1857
Synonyms: Brodiaea minor var. nana (Hoover) Hoover Brodiaea nana (Bentham) Britten ex Greene Hookera minor
Scape 2–10 cm, slender. Flowers 14–24 mm; perianth pale bluish to lilac, rotate, tube urceolate, strongly constricted above ovary, 6–10 mm, tough, opaque, not splitting in fruit, lobes widely spreading, 11–17 mm, inner 5–7 mm wide; filaments 0.5–4 mm, base not triangular, with narrow abaxial wings, appendages absent; anthers linear, 1–5 mm, apex hooked; staminodia erect, held close to stamens, white, broad, 5–8 mm, margins 1/2 involute at mid-length, apex notched; ovary 3–4 mm; style 5–6 mm; pedicel 1–3 cm. 2n = 12.
Phenology: Flowering spring (Apr–early May).
Habitat: Grasslands, gravelly clay soils
Elevation: 0–500 m
Discussion
Brodiaea minor grows along the low foothills of the Sierra Nevada range. It is very similar to B. purdyi, which may be only a subspecies of it.
Selected References
None.
Lower Taxa
None.