Dichelostemma capitatum (Benth.) Alph.Wood

Bluedicks (en)

Species

Angiosperms > Asparagales > Asparagaceae > Dichelostemma

Characteristics

Leaves 2–3, 10–70 cm; blade barely keeled. Scape shorter than 65 cm, smooth. Inflorescences umbellate, dense, 2–15-flowered; bracts whitish to dark purple, ovate to lanceolate, 7–20 mm. Flowers horizontal or erect; perianth blue, bluish purple, pinkish purple, or white, tube narrowly cylindrical to short-campanulate, not constricted above ovary, 3–12 mm, lobes usually ascending or widely spreading, 7–12 mm; perianth appendages slightly reflexed distally, leaning toward anthers to form corona, white, lanceolate, 4–6 mm, apex deeply notched; stamens 6, smaller 3 on outer tepals alternating with larger 3 on inner tepals; outer filaments wider than inner at base, 2 mm; outer anthers 2–3 mm, inner 3–4 mm; ovary sessile, ovoid, 4–8 mm; style 4–8 mm; pedicel 1–35 mm.
More
A small corm plant. It grows 30-60 cm high and spreads 5 cm across. The leaves are grass like. The flowers are lilac-blue. They are broadly funnel shaped.
Life form perennial
Growth form herb
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention deciduous
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) 0.05
Mature height (meter) 0.35 - 0.63
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Fruit color -
Fruiting months -
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway c3

Environment

It is a temperate plant.
Light 7-9
Soil humidity 3-5
Soil texture 3-4
Soil acidity -
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 4-10

Usage

The bulbs are cooked and eaten.
Uses food
Edible bulbs roots stems
Therapeutic use -
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Plants can be grown from small bulbs.
Mode -
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Leaf

Dichelostemma capitatum leaf picture by Kymberly Brewster (cc-by-sa)

Flower

Dichelostemma capitatum flower picture by Adam King (cc-by-sa)
Dichelostemma capitatum flower picture by Meg Johnson (cc-by-sa)
Dichelostemma capitatum flower picture by Liz Pucket (cc-by-sa)

Distribution

Dichelostemma capitatum world distribution map, present in United States of America

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:1025266-2
WFO ID wfo-0000765266
COL ID 3MJ8K
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Hookera capitata Brodiaea capitata Dipterostemon capitatus Milla capitata Dichelostemma pulchellum var. capitatum Dichelostemma capitatum

Lower taxons

Dichelostemma capitatum subsp. pauciflorum Dichelostemma capitatum subsp. capitatum Dichelostemma capitatum subsp. lacuna-vernalis