[Cluster Lilies: The Genus Triteleia in the Columbia River Gorge of Oregon and Washington]

Fool's Onion, Hyacinth Brodiaea, Hyacinth Cluster Lily, Hyacinth Triteleia, White Brodiaea, White Triteleia

Triteleia hyacinthina

Synonyms: Brodiaea dissimulata, Brodiaea hyacinthina, Hesperoscordum hyacinthinum, Triteleia hyacinthina var. hyacinthina

Fool's Onion, Hyacinth Brodiaea, Hyacinth Cluster Lily, Hyacinth Triteleia, White Brodiaea, White Triteleia: Triteleia hyacinthina (Synonyms: Brodiaea dissimulata, Brodiaea hyacinthina, Hesperoscordum hyacinthinum, Triteleia hyacinthina var. hyacinthina) - Fool's Onion, Hyacinth Brodiaea, Hyacinth Cluster Lily, Hyacinth Triteleia, White Brodiaea, White Triteleia: Triteleia hyacinthina (Synonyms: Brodiaea dissimulata, Brodiaea hyacinthina, Hesperoscordum hyacinthinum, Triteleia hyacinthina var. hyacinthina)

Hyacinth cluster lily as seen at the east side of Canyon Creek, Klickitat Wildlife Area........May 22, 2015. Note the beetles using the inflorescence as a mating area. The flowers of this species are more bowl-shaped and less tubular than the flowers of the other species of Triteleia found in the Columbia River Gorge.

Inflorescence of Fool's Onion, Hyacinth Brodiaea, Hyacinth Cluster Lily, Hyacinth Triteleia, White Brodiaea, White Triteleia: Triteleia hyacinthina (Synonyms: Brodiaea dissimulata, Brodiaea hyacinthina, Hesperoscordum hyacinthinum, Triteleia hyacinthina var. hyacinthina)The photo at right of shows a close-up of the flowers of hyacinth cluster lily as seen from southeastern Mt. Adams.......June 2005.
Characteristics:

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.


Habitat:

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


Range:

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.


Inflorescence of Fool's Onion, Hyacinth Brodiaea, Hyacinth Cluster Lily, Hyacinth Triteleia, White Brodiaea, White Triteleia: Triteleia hyacinthina (Synonyms: Brodiaea dissimulata, Brodiaea hyacinthina, Hesperoscordum hyacinthinum, Triteleia hyacinthina var. hyacinthina)

The photo above shows a close view of the umbel of hyacinth cluster lily from southeastern Mt. Adams......June, 2005. The flowers of this species are more bowl-shaped and less tubular than the flowers of the other species of Triteleia found in the Columbia River Gorge.

Habitat of Fool's Onion, Hyacinth Brodiaea, Hyacinth Cluster Lily, Hyacinth Triteleia, White Brodiaea, White Triteleia: Triteleia hyacinthina (Synonyms: Brodiaea dissimulata, Brodiaea hyacinthina, Hesperoscordum hyacinthinum, Triteleia hyacinthina var. hyacinthina)

Inflorescence of Fool's Onion, Hyacinth Brodiaea, Hyacinth Cluster Lily, Hyacinth Triteleia, White Brodiaea, White Triteleia: Triteleia hyacinthina (Synonyms: Brodiaea dissimulata, Brodiaea hyacinthina, Hesperoscordum hyacinthinum, Triteleia hyacinthina var. hyacinthina) - Inflorescence of Fool's Onion, Hyacinth Brodiaea, Hyacinth Cluster Lily, Hyacinth Triteleia, White Brodiaea, White Triteleia: Triteleia hyacinthina (Synonyms: Brodiaea dissimulata, Brodiaea hyacinthina, Hesperoscordum hyacinthinum, Triteleia hyacinthina var. hyacinthina)

Hyacinth cluster lilies blooming in vernally moist drainages east of Canyon Creek in the Klickitat Wildlife Area...........June 19, 2016.

Habitat of Fool's Onion, Hyacinth Brodiaea, Hyacinth Cluster Lily, Hyacinth Triteleia, White Brodiaea, White Triteleia: Triteleia hyacinthina (Synonyms: Brodiaea dissimulata, Brodiaea hyacinthina, Hesperoscordum hyacinthinum, Triteleia hyacinthina var. hyacinthina)

Typical habitat of a vernally moist meadow for hyacinth cluster lily. Photographed to the east of Canyon Creek in the Klickitat Wildlife Area.........May 22, 2015.


Fool's Onion, Hyacinth Brodiaea, Hyacinth Cluster Lily, Hyacinth Triteleia, White Brodiaea, White Triteleia: Triteleia hyacinthina (Synonyms: Brodiaea dissimulata, Brodiaea hyacinthina, Hesperoscordum hyacinthinum, Triteleia hyacinthina var. hyacinthina)

Hyacinth cluster lily found southeast of Cottonwood Creek in the Fremont N.F.......July 18, 1998.

Paul Slichter