These coastal forms of BTK from Santa Barbara & San Diego Counties were grouped very close to each other. This is not surprising because they appeared very similar morphologically based on my images of flowering plants. They were also grouped very close to B. jolonensis in the cladogram, suggesting a possible kinship. Perhaps this is why the Jepson Manual 2nd Edition lists this brodiaea with white staminodes as a possible undescribed taxon under B. jolonensis. I have also observed individuals with white and purple staminodes in the same population. Morphology data from Tom Chester and myself indicate this taxon is more closely related to B. terrestris ssp. kernensis. The latter species also has higher polyploid chromosome numbers (6n = 36, 7n = 42, & 8n= 48) compared with B. jolonensis (2n=12).

My tentative sporophyte count for Coastal BTK in San Marcos is at least 36. If these populations are hexaploid (6n = 36) with a base number of 6 (n = 6), a cross between a tetraploid (4n) BF (or BO) would result in a 5n (pentaploid) hybrid. Preliminary chomosome counts of Coastal BTK from Otay Mesa by Dale McNeal at University of the Pacific (personal communication, 2006) indicate that the number may be greater than 40. An exact count is difficult because small chromosomes are often obscured by larger ones.

The groupings of these 3 collections are perplexing. BTK from Cuyamaca Lake and the Laguna Mountains, San Diego County, were not closely grouped. Even more surprising was the grouping of BTK from Kern County which was near the bottom of cladogram. I must admit that I have no explanation for this unless there was an error in DNA sequencing or my samples.

Brodiaea orcuttii and B. filifolia, plus hybrids between them, are closely related and are grouped close to each other and B. santarosae. This arrangement is what I would expect.

---

Key To Brodiaea Species in Mainland & Insular Southern California
South of San Luis Obispo & Kern Counties to the Mexican Border © W.P. Armstrong 26 May 2009

Pictorial Key To Brodiaeas In San Diego County

1  Staminodes 0 in all flowers.....B. orcutii 1' Staminodes present in 90-100% of flowers.....(2) 2  Staminodes filiform or uniformly tapered from base to tip.....(3) 2' Staminodes oblong to rectangular in outline, tapering only near tip if at all.....(5) 3  Filaments 0-1.5 mm; staminodes 1.0-4.5 mm long, reflexed against perianth.....B. filifolia 3' Filaments 2-8 mm; staminodes 0.0-7.0 mm long, recurved to erect.....(4) 4  Perianth length 19-24 mm; style 8.0-9.5 mm; ovary 4.0-5.0 mm; anther 5.0-5.5 mm; San Marcos, San Diego County.....B. filifolia x B. orcuttii 4' Perianth length 24-36 mm; style 10.5-17 mm; ovary 3.5-8.2 mm; anther 5.4-8.9 mm; Santa Rosa Plateau, Elsinore Peak (Riverside County) to Miller Mountain (San Diego County).....B. santarosae 5  Staminodes gen erect, edges flat to inrolled, sometimes hooded, gen purple.....(6) 5' Staminodes recurved, edges flat, not hooded, pointed at tip, gen white; Mission Trails Regional Park, San Diego County.....B. elegans ssp. elegans 6  Staminodes inrolled or hooded at apex, lvs 2-3; mainland & insular.....B. terrestris ssp. kernensis.....(7) 7 Staminodes typically hooded at apex; coastal and insular; Santa Barbara Co. to n. Baja Calif.....Coastal BTK* 7' Staminodes flattened or inrolled along margins; Kern County and montane southern California.....Montane BTK* 6' Staminodes flat, cuspidate at apex, lvs 1; San Clemente Island.....B. kinkiensis

Note: Although listed in many references for mainland & insular southern California, B. jolonensis appears to be endemic to the Coast Ranges of Monterey and possibly San Luis Obispo Counties. * Brodiaea terrestris ssp. kernensis (BTK), including coastal & montane forms, is a large and diverse complex that extends from Santa Barbara and Kern Counties to the Mexican border. PCA data from Tom Chester thus far indicates that BTK is one variable species. BTK intergrades into variable populations on the Santa Rosa Plateau of Riverside County and at Cuyamaca Lake and Camp Pendleton in San Diego County. Fertile clonal variants have hooded staminodes, staminodes that are flattened and strap-shaped or inrolled along upper margins, and narrow staminodes that are tapered toward the apex. In addition, the staminodes may be erect, leaning slightly outward or leaning inward. Whether the anther connectives of BTK have a dentate appendage or V-shaped notch is also quite variable, particularly in Kern County populations. This trait is of little value in separating populations of BTK, but is fairly consistent in populations of B. terrestris ssp. terrestris (BTT) in San Luis Obispo and Monterey Counties. In general, populations of BTK in southern California lack a well-defined dentate connective; however, this trait occurs in some Kern County populations. These traits are apparently not under selection pressure and hence exhibit a lot of variability. In addition to clonal variants, there are occasional sterile hybrids between BTK and other sympatric populations, such as B. filifolia and B. orcuttii.   Staminode Variation Of BTK On Santa Rosa Plateau   Staminode Variation Of BTK At Camp Pendleton Staminode Variation Of BTK At Cuyamaca Lake Dentate Anther Connective In BTK Populations

---

Images of Brodiaea Species in Mainland & Insular California
Monterey, San Luis Obispo & Kern Counties to the Mexican Border

© W.P. Armstrong, 18 October 2007

B. jolonensis (Coast Range, Monterey County) B. terrestris ssp. terrestris (Coastal Monterey County)        B. terrestris ssp. terrestris (San Luis Obispo County) B. terrestris ssp. kernensis (Kern County) B. terrestris ssp. kernensis (Coastal S. California) ** B. terrestris ssp. kernensis (Montane S. California) B. terrestris ssp. kernensis (Santa Rosa Plateau) B. filifolia (San Diego & Riverside Counties) B. orcuttii (Coastal & Montane San Diego County) B. santarosae (Santa Rosa Plateau, Riverside Co.) B. santarosae cf. B. filifolia x B. orcuttii Link To Hybrid Brodiaeas In San Marcos B. elegans ssp. elegans (San Diego County) B. kinkiensis (San Clemente Island) Flowers Of All Southern Calif. Brodiaeas Staminodes Of Southern Calif. Brodiaeas

**  In general, coastal popultions of BTK have hooded staminodes; however, there is tremendous variation in staminode shape in other populations, such as the Santa Rosa Plateau and Cuyamaca Lake.  Potted plants with non-hooded, inrolled staminodes from the Laguna Mountains developed hooded staminodes like coastal BTK when grown in Escondido. Click Here To View Image.

The flower color for Brodiaea species on this page is blue-purple to violet. In all the following images
I have attempted to match their original color;  however, they may appear different on your monitor.

Brodiaea jolonensis (Monterey County)   Brodiaea jolonensis Not in Southern Calif.   Brodiaea jolonensis in Monterey County Brodiaea terrestris ssp. terrestris (Coastal Monterey County) Brodiaea terrestris ssp. terrestris (Inland San Luis Obispo County)   B. terrestris ssp. terrestris in San Luis Obispo County   Brodiaea terrestris ssp. kernensis (Kern County)   Brodiaea terrestris ssp. kernensis in Kern County   Brodiaea terrestris ssp. kernensis (Coastal BTK In Southern California)   Coastal BTK in San Marcos (Coastal San Diego County)   Coastal BTK above Gaviota Pass (Santa Barbara County) Brodiaea terrestris ssp. kernensis (Montane BTK In Southern California) Brodiaeas at Kearny Mesa & Cuyamaca Lake   Staminode Variation in BTK at Cuyamaca Lake   Brodiaea terrestris ssp. kernensis (Santa Rosa Plateau, Riverside County) Brodiaeas on Santa Rosa Plateau & Elsinore Pk   Staminode Variation in BTK at Santa Rosa Plateau   Brodiaea filifolia (San Diego & Riverside Counties) Brodiaea filifolia in San Marcos, San Diego Co.   Brodiaeas on Santa Rosa Plateau & Elsinore Pk   Brodiaea orcuttii (Coastal & Montane San Diego County)   Brodiaea orcuttii in San Marcos, San Diego Co.   Brodiaeas at Kearny Mesa & Cuyamaca Lake Brodiaea santarosae (Santa Rosa Plateau, Riverside County) The flower of Brodiaea santarosae has longer perianth segments than other Brodiaea species in southern California. The total spread of this flower is nearly 50 mm. This species has long filaments like B. orcuttii, but has much larger flowers. It has no staminodes or slender staminodes that vary in length. It is similar to the fertile hybrid between B. filifolia and B. orcuttii, except the flowers are generally about 40 percent larger than the hybrid. See following image comparison between this species and the hybrid.   Brodiaeas on Santa Rosa Plateau & Elsinore Pk   Brodiaea santarosae on the Santa Rosa Plateau Variation in Flowers of Brodiaea santarosae Brodiaea santarosae compared with B. filifolia x B. orcuttii   San Marcos Brodiaea Hybrids   1. Fertile Hybrid: B. filifolia x B. orcuttii 2. Fertile Hybrid: B. filifolia x B. orcuttii 3. Sterile: BTK x B. filifolia or B. orcutii   Hybrid On Santa Rosa Plateau   1. A Sterile Hybrid: B. santarosae x BTK Brodiaea elegans ssp. elegans (San Diego County) Is Brodiaea elegans in San Diego County?   B. elegans at Mission Trails Regional Park   Brodiaea kinkiensis (San Clemente Island)   Brodiaea kinkiensis on San Clemente Island   Brodiaea species native to southern California: (A) B. orcuttii, (B) B. filifolia, (C) B. santarosae, (D) B. terrestris ssp. kernensis, (E) B. kinkiensis, (F) B. elegans ssp. elegans. Index Of Brodiaea Pages On Wayne's Word PDF of B. santarosae Article Published in Madrono Vol. 54: 187-198 (2007) Floras Citing Brodiaeas In Southern California Key To Brodiaea Species In Southern California Brodiaea Images: Central & Southern California Key To Brodiaea Species in San Diego County Is Brodiaea jolonensis in San Diego County? Is Brodiaea elegans in San Diego County? Brodiaeas In San Marcos           San Marcos Vernal Pools & Brodiaea Populations More Images From San Marcos Vernal Pool Area Coastal BTK in San Marcos During Spring 2006 Coastal BTK x B. filifolia or B. orcuttii In San Marcos San Marcos Brodiaeas After March Rains of 2006 San Marcos Vernal Pools During Spring Of 2008 San Marcos Vernal Pools During Spring Of 2010 San Marcos Vernal Pools During Spring Of 2011 San Marcos Vernal Pools During Spring Of 2012 Statement of Brodiaea Research in San Marcos Hybrid Brodiaeas In San Marcos           Fertile Brodiaea filifolia x B. orcuttii In San Marcos Fertile San Marcos Hybrid Grown In Flower Pot 1 Fertile San Marcos Hybrid Grown In Flower Pot 2 Sterile Hybrid Brodiaea (Coastal BTK x BF or BO) Brodiaeas In Central & S. California           Staminode Variation In BTK At Camp Pendleton Kearny Mesa, Mission Trails & San Marcos Brodiaeas at Kearny Mesa & Cuyamaca Lake Staminode Variation in BTK at Cuyamaca Lake Brodiaea terrestris kernensis in Kern County B. terrestris terrestris in San Luis Obispo County Brodiaea jolonensis in Monterey County Coastal BTK in Santa Barbara County (Gaviota Pass)    Coastal BTK in Santa Barbara County (Figueroa Mt) Brodiaea kinkiensis on San Clemente Island Pollen Of B. elegans Variant at Mission Trails Anthers Of BJ? vs. Coastal & Montane BTK The Vascular Pattern of Perianth Segments Vascular Strands of BJ From Monterey County Vascular Pattern of #662 From Otay Mesa Brodiaea Leaves On Sprouting Potted Plants Brodiaeas Grown In Pots Spring 2008-09 (1) Brodiaeas Grown In Pots Spring 2008-09 (2) Brodiaea santarosae             Floral Variation in Brodiaea santarosae Images Of Basalt On The Santa Rosa Plateau Brodiaea santarosae Lecture (Blue Background) Brodiaea santarosae Lecture (White Background) Images Of Brodiaeas on the Santa Rosa Plateau Brodiaeas on Santa Rosa Plateau & Elsinore Pk Brodiaeas on the Santa Rosa Plateau (2006) Brodiaea santarosae On Santa Rosa Plateau (1) Brodiaea santarosae On Santa Rosa Plateau (2) Brodiaea santarosae On SRP: Pollinator Bee Staminode Variation in BTK at Santa Rosa Plateau     Brodiaea santarosae cf. B. filifolia & B. orcuttii Rock Formations On The Santa Rosa Plateau Rock Lichens On The Santa Rosa Plateau Miller Mt. Location For Brodiaea santarosae Santa Rosa Plateau Wildflowers 6 May 08 Santa Rosa Plateau Wildflowers 22 May 08 Brodiaea Hybrid On The Santa Rosa Plateau Brodiaeas On Miller Mt & Santa Rosa Plateau All text material & images on these pages copyright © W.P. Armstrong