[Cluster Lilies: The Genus Triteleia East of the Cascade Mountains of Oregon and Washington]
Blue Dicks, Douglas' Brodiaea, Large-flowered Triteleia
Triteleia grandiflora
Synonyms: Brodiaea douglasii, Brodiaea douglasii var. douglasii, Triteleia grandiflora ssp. grandiflora, Triteleia grandiflora var. grandiflora
The photo above shows a close-up of the flower of Douglas' Brodiaea as seen from the Horse Heaven Hills southwest of Benton City,
WA....April 29, 2006. Note the inner trio of tepals which are distinctly ruffled and flared at a level about 2-3 mm higher than the outer trio of tepals.
Photo at right of Douglas'
Brodiaea from the Rattlesnake Hills northeast of Toppenish, WA.........5/10/97.
Characteristics:
Like bicolor cluster lily, Douglas'
Brodiaea is a pretty prairie wildflower with a single stem arising from 20-70
cm in height from a deep seated, scaly corm. A pair of linear, grass-like leaves
arise from the base of the plant. The leaves are flat but keeled beneath, ranging
from 25-50 cm long and from 3-10 mm wide.
The inflorescence is a compact ro moderately loose umbel, the
pedicels ranging from 1-5 cm long. The flowers consist of six fused tepals,
forming a slightly flaring tube about 9 to 12 mm long. The tips of the tepals
are free. The tube and tepals range from light to deep blue, with a deeper bluish-purple
midvein.
The inner trio of tepals are broader than the outer trio, and
the inner tepals are noticeably wavy-margined, the ruffling of the margin at
least partly blocking the entrance to the tube (Note photo below.).
Douglas' Brodiaea is very similar in appearance to bicolor
cluster lily. The latter plant may be identified due to the tighter inflorescence,
lighter flowers (especially in the Columbia River Gorge and inland), and the
lack of significant ruffling along the margins of the inner tepals.
Cluster lilies are suitable additions for prairie gardens but
should only be purchased from reputable dealers of native plants. they should
not be dug from wild locations.
Habitat:
Grasslands, sagebrush desert, and ponderosa pine forests.
Range:
Douglas' Brodiaea is found wholly east of the Cascade Mountains,
from south-central British Columbia through central and eastern Washington,
south-eastern Oregon, and estward western Montana, Wyoming, and northern Utah.
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Douglas' brodiaea as seen on the west bank of the John Day River about one and one-half miles downstream from the Cottonwood Canyon State Park Campground.........April 6, 2015.
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The photo at left shows a close-up sideview of the flowers of Douglas' Brodiaea as seen from the Horse Heaven Hills southwest of Benton City, WA.......April 29, 2006. The photo at right shows a view down onto the tepals of Douglas' brodiaea as seen in uplands around the North Fork Crooked River about one and one-quarter mile south of the junction of FS Roads #42 and #4215, Ochoco National Forest..........June 12, 2015.
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Close-up of the flower of Douglas' Brodiaea as seen at left from the summit of
OR 74 between Hinton Creek and Little Butter Creek.........May 5, 2000. The photo at right shows a flower of Douglas brodiaea as seen on slopes above the west bank of the John Day River about 2 miles upstream from the Cottonwood Canyon State Park campground..........May 3, 2017.
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The photo above shows several close-up views of the flowers of Douglas' brodiaea as seen along the Umatilla Rim Trail on the northeastern side of the North Fork Umatilla Wilderness........June 24, 2007.
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Douglas' brodiaea in bloom at left along the first mile of the North Fork Catherine Creek Trail #1905, Wallowa-Whitman National Forest.......June 12, 2018. The photo at right shows a close-up of the flower of Douglas' brodiaea as seen along the Headquarters Trail at Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge........May 8, 2019.
The photo above shows a close-up of the inflorescence of Douglas' brodiea as seen along the old Vantage Highway on the eastbank of the Columbia River........April 30, 2007.
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The inflorescence of Douglas' brodiaea observed at left on scablands surrounding Wenas Campground, Yakima County, WA.......May 24, 2019.
The photo at right shows a close-up of the inflorescence of Douglas' brodiaea as observed in the drier upland parts of the riparian area along Dry Creek, about one-half mile upstream from Wenas Creek, Yakima County, WA......June 3, 2023.
A Douglas' brodiaea blooming along Forest Road 41, Umatilla National Forest......June 17, 2023.
Paul Slichter