1. * Many-flowered Brodiaea – Dichelostemma multiflorum
(dick (dike)-el-AH-stem-uh mul-tie-FLOR-um)
Family: Liliaceae (Lily Family)
Primarily in N. CA including the Coast Ranges and San Francisco area; in open
woodlands, foothill grasslands, scrublands in foothills and lower maountains to 6500 ft elevation.
Native to:
perennial bulb
mature height: 1-2 ft.
mature width: 1-2 ft.
Herbaceous perennial from a bulb. Strap-like leaves emerge with fall rains, begin to wither before
plants bloom. Plant dies back to the bulb in the dry summer months.
Growth characteristics:
Blooms in spring (usually April-May, but may be earlier or later). Dense, ball-like
clusters of small urn-shaped flowers at ends of slender flowering stalks. Flowers usually violet, but
range from white to lavender or pinkish lavender.
More showy than the local Blue Dicks
(Dichelostemma capitatum) but similar in appearance and needs.
Blooms/fruits:
Uses in the garden: Tuck them into any area that is dry in summer. Good choice around native
shrubs or with summer-dry native grasses. Wonderful container plant with native annuals. Makes
a charming cut flower. Will naturalize by bulbs & seed. Bulbs can be cooked & eaten.
Sensible substitute for: Non-native bulbs.
Attracts: Skipper butterflies love them. Birds eat the seeds.
Requirements:
Element
Sun
Soil
Water
Fertilizer
Other
Requirement
Full sun to light shade. Likes heat.
Well-drained best but fine in clays; any local pH.
Require summer dry; Zone 1 after flowering.
None needed.
Management:
Divide bulbs every three years (or when appear crowded) in fall.
Propagation: from seed: easy; 3 years to flower
by bulbs: easy
Plant/seed sources (see list for source numbers): 1, 8, 13, 18, 30
3/29/11
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