Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria

View additional distribution information on the Jepson eflora

Brodiaea elegans is a species of flowering plant in the Themidaceae (Lily or Asparagus) family, cluster-lily genus, known by the common names Harvest Brodiaea and Elegant Cluster-lily. It is native to the mountain ranges of California and Oregon, where it grows in woodlands and meadows. In California it is found in the Coast Ranges, Klamath Range, Central Valley and Sierra foothills. This perennial grows from a corm and produces a stout stemlike flower cluster up to 50 centimeters tall. It bears showy flowers on pedicels up to 10 centimeters long. Each flower has six curving petals up to 3 centimeters long in shades of bright purple. In the center of the flower are white or pale purple sterile stamens known as staminodes; these are flat with pointed or toothed tips and between one half and one centimeter in length. Next to these are the fertile stamens topped with large anthers. In Northern California, Brodiaea elegans is one of the later blooming wildflowers, often seen in May and having a very long flowering season.

Plant type

Perennial herb, Geophyte

Size

2 ft Tall
6 in Wide

Form

Upright

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Color

Blue, Lavender, Purple, White

Flowering season

Spring, Summer

Special uses

Containers

Sun

Full Sun, Partial Shade

Water

Low, Very Low

Ease of care

Moderate

Soil drainage

Medium, Slow

Soil description

Does well in clay soil but can also tolerate garden soil.

Propagation

Usually obtained by buying commercially available corms. For propagating by seed: No treatment. Plants from seed require 2-3 years to flower. To expand a population in your garden, dig mature corms in the fall and carefully divide the offset corms.

Site type

Open grassy places, meadows, and clearings in woodlands and forests

Plant communities

Foothill Woodland, Valley Grassland, Yellow Pine Forest

Use with other geophytes such as wild onion (Allium hyalinum or peninsulare) or Yellow Mariposa Lily (Calochortus luteus). Also with annuals or herbaceious perennials such as Milkweed (Asclepias fascicularis or vestita), Owl's Clover (Castilleja exserta), Clarkia (Clarkia purpurea or unguiculata), Chinese Houses (Collinsia heterphylla), Royal Larkspur (Delphinium variegatum), California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica), Tricolor Gilia (Gilia tricolor), Lupine (Lupinus spp.)

Butterflies