Carried by 8 nurseries
View Availability at NurseryData provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria
View additional distribution information on the Jepson eflora
Dichelostemma ida-maia is a species of flowering plant known as firecracker flower. It is native to northern California and southern Oregon, where it grows in mountain forests, woodlands, and coastal meadows. It is also widely cultivated as an ornamental plant for its showy crimson and cream flowers. This is a perennial herb growing from a corm which erects a tall, naked stem topped with an umbel of six to 20 flowers. Each flower is a cylindrical red tube two to three centimeters long. The tip of each flower lobe curls back to reveal a shiny white underside. The curls rim the mouth of the tubular flower in a corona, surrounding the small anthers and a stalked ovary. The flower hangs when it is in anthesis and holds itself erect as the fruit develops. One umbel may have some hanging flowers and some erect fruiting flowers at the same time.
Perennial herb, Geophyte
2 ft Tall
6 in Wide
Summer Deciduous
Cream, Red
Spring, Summer
Containers
Full Sun, Partial Shade, Deep Shade
Very Low
Never irrigate once established
Moderate
Fast, Medium, Slow
Adaptable.
For propagating by seed: Optimum germination requires 40°F (constant) and no light or a wide diurnal fluctuation (40° to 80°F) and no light (Keator 1968). Sowing outdoors in fall and excluding light may give satisfactory germination.
4, 5, 6, 7*, 14*, 15*, 16*, 17*, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Open and grassy places
Mixed Evergreen Forest, Redwood Forest
Use in understory of north coast trees such as Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens), Madrone (Arbutus menziesii), or Tanoak (Notholithocarpus densiflorus). Works well with other geophytes such as Mariposa Lilies (Calochortus spp.), Oregon Lily (Lilium columbaianum), and Brodiaea spp.