The photo at right of shows a close-up of the flowers of hyacinth cluster lily as seen from southeastern Mt. Adams............June 2005.

Hyacinth cluster lily is an attractive wildflower with one to two basal leaves and a single stem from 25-70 cm high. The leaves are flat but keeled beneath and range from 3-10 mm wide and up to 40 cm long. The leaves usually persist until flowering.

The many flowers form an umbel. Individual flowers are white or occasionally light blue in color with a prominent green or blue midvein. The 6 tepals are broadly bell-shaped, ranging from 10-16 mm long. The lobes are 2-3 times longer than the tube and are broadly lanceolate to oblong-obovate. The lobes are roughly the same size and shape and spread at about the same level. There are 6 fertile stamens with the anthers each 1.5-2.5 mm long.

Hyacinth cluster lily may be found growing on grassy or open, rocky flats and meadows from the lowlands to mid-elevation in the mountains.

Hyacinth cluster lily may be found from southern British Columbia south to the west of the Cascades in Washington and Oregon to the Sierra Nevada Mts. of California. It is also found east of the Cascades in the sagebrush desert from Chelan County, WA south through central and eastern Oregon to northern Nevada and east to Idaho.

In the Columbia River Gorge it may be found at an elevation of 100'-2300' from the western Gorge east to near Horsethief Butte.