Kaweah brodiaea

Brodiaea synandra (A. Heller) Jepson var. insignis Jepson, Fl. Calif. 1: 288. 1921

Scape 7–24 cm, slender. Flowers 14–24 mm; perianth rose to pinkish purple, rotate, tube narrowly cylindrical, not constricted above ovary, 6–9 mm, opaque, not splitting in fruit, lobes widely spreading, 11–15 mm; filaments linear, 1–2 mm, base dilated to form triangular flap, appendages absent or narrow and inconspicuous; anthers linear, 2–4 mm, apex hooked; staminodia erect, held close to stamens, white, broad, 6–8 mm, margins 3/4 involute, apex 2-lobed; ovary 4–5 mm; style 4–5 mm; pedicel 2–9 cm. 2n = 32.

Flowering spring (May--Jun). Foothill woodland openings; of conservation concern; 200--500 m; Calif.

Brodiaea insignis is endangered. It is endemic to three localities along the Kaweah and Tule river drainages and is threatened by development, road maintenance, and grazing. It is in cultivation.