''Triteleia crocea'', with the common names yellow triteleia and yellow tripletlily, is a

monocot Monocotyledons (), commonly referred to as monocots, ( Lilianae '' sensu'' Chase & Reveal) are grass and grass-like flowering plants (angiosperms), the seeds of which typically contain only one embryonic leaf, or cotyledon. They constitute on ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. They include all forbs (flowering plants without a woody stem), grasses and grass-like plants, a vast majority of ...

in the genus ''

Triteleia ''Triteleia'' is a genus of monocotyledon flowering plants also known as triplet lilies. The 16 species are native to western North America, from British Columbia south to California and east to Wyoming and Arizona, with one species in northwes ...

''.

Distribution

The plant is native to northern

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

and into southern

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idah ...

. It occurs in the

Klamath Mountains The Klamath Mountains are a rugged and lightly populated mountain range in northwestern California and southwestern Oregon in the western United States. As a mountain system within both the greater Pacific Coast Ranges and the California Coast ...

and the southernmost slopes of the Cascade Range. Its habitats include

Yellow pine forest Ponderosa pine forest is a plant association and plant community dominated by ponderosa pine and found in western North America. It is found from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Coast Ranges in the Western United States and Western Canada. In ...

Description

''Triteleia crocea'' is a perennial herb growing from a

corm A corm, bulbo-tuber, or bulbotuber is a short, vertical, swollen underground plant stem that serves as a storage organ that some plants use to survive winter or other adverse conditions such as summer drought and heat ( perennation). The word ...

. It produces two or three leaves up to 40 centimeters long by one wide. The

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed ...

arises on an erect stem up to 30 centimeters tall. It is an

umbel In botany, an umbel is an inflorescence that consists of a number of short flower stalks (called pedicels) that spread from a common point, somewhat like umbrella ribs. The word was coined in botanical usage in the 1590s, from Latin ''umbella'' " ...

-like cluster of many flowers each borne on a slender

pedicel Pedicle or pedicel may refer to: Human anatomy *Pedicle of vertebral arch, the segment between the transverse process and the vertebral body, and is often used as a radiographic marker and entry point in vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty procedures ...

. The flowers are usually bright yellow but some specimens from the

Trinity Mountains The Trinity Mountains are a subrange of the Klamath Mountains, one of the ranges within the California Coast Ranges and part the greater Pacific Coast Ranges, the coastal mountain system extending from Mexico to Alaska. The Trinity Mountains subra ...

have light blue corollas. They may have green stripes. The corolla has six lobes one half to one centimeter long and six

stamen The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filam ...

s with yellow or blue anthers. The bloom period is May and June.

Varieties

Varieties include *''Triteleia crocea'' var. ''crocea'' — Yellow triteleia, listed

Vulnerable species A vulnerable species is a species which has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as being threatened with extinction unless the circumstances that are threatening its survival and reproduction improve. Vulne ...

. *''Triteleia crocea'' var. ''modesta'' — Trinity Mountains pretty face, endemic to

, listed Vulnerable species.Calflora: ''Triteleia crocea'' var. ''modesta''
/ref>

References

External links

Calflora Database: ''Triteleia crocea'' (Yellow triplet lily, Yellow triteleia)Jepson Manual eFlora (TJM2) treatment of ''Triteleia crocea''USDA Plants Profile for ''Triteleia crocea'' (yellow triteleia)UC CalPhotos gallery: ''Triteleia crocea''
crocea Flora of California Flora of Oregon Flora of the Cascade Range Flora of the Klamath Mountains ~ Flora without expected TNC conservation status {{Asparagaceae-stub