Characteristics: Harvest lily is a beautiful, small lily found in arid areas. It has a single stout stem (a scape) arising from a deep seated, scaly corm to a height of 25 cm. It has one to three, narrow ( 2 to 4 mm wide) leaves which typically wither by bloom time.
The flowers are a deep violet-purple color, with the tepals being 2 to 3.5 cm long. The tepals are united at the base to form a short tube, but these soon become separated and tend to flare outwards. The outer 3 tepals are linear-lanceolate in shape and are narrower than the broader, inner 3 tepals which are oblong-lanceolate in shape. There are 3 fertile stamens which are much shorter than the tepals. The stamens alternate with 3 broadly lanceolate obtuse staminodia (The staminodia whitish structures in the center of the flower ant he photo above.) which incline towards the center of the flower. The margins of the staminodia are inrolled and are 7-10 mm long.
This is one of my favorite native Brodiaeas. It is especially spectacular when seen in dense drifts. I have several in the rock garden where they have bloomed for several years. They look best clustered at the front of the rock garden.
Harvest lily is found on grassy slopes, gravelly prairies, and rocky bluffs overlooking the sea.
Harvest lily is found from southern Vancouver Island south through the islands of Puget Sound to scattered spots on the Olympic Peninsula. It is found throughout the lowland area between the Cascades and Puget Sound and ranges west of the Cascades through the Willamette Valley to southern California. Eastward, it is found in the Columbia River Gorge and southern Yakima County in Washington.
In the Columbia River Gorge it may be found between the elevations of 100'-1200' between Dog Mountain and Horsethief Lake State Park.
