Brodiaea Update May 2020

Wayne's Word Index Noteworthy Plants Trivia Lemnaceae Biology 101 Botany Scenic Wildflowers Trains Spiders & Insects Search
Brodiaea Image Update May 2020
by W.P. Armstrong 14 May 2020
All Images Taken With Nikon D-90, Sony HX50V or HX60V

May 2020 was truly one of the most beautiful springs at Wayne's Word.

My Native Brodiaea Garden Is In Full Bloom May 2020

Brodiaea santarosae in my Brodiaea garden.

Brodiaea santarosae in my Brodiaea garden. Many flowers with conspicuous, long, slender staminodes. To protect my Brodiaea garden I lined the soil with with gopher-proof hardware cloth and covered it with netting. Unfortunately, my B. jolonensis from the Hunter Liggett Army Base in Monterey County was left in flower pot too long and didn't survive. Taken with Sony HX60V.

It's Brodiaea santarosae blooming time again in Wayne's Brodiaea Garden. I coauthored this species with Tom Chester and Kay Madore in Madrono (2007). We discovered this beautiful rare species on the Santa Rosa Plateau west of Murrieta. Photographed with Sony HX60V 27 May 2020. See Fremontia Article

Sterile (Seedless) Hybrid In Brodiaea Garden

Originally observed in the vernal pool field of San Marocos in 2008, the flowers appeared a little different from the other nearby Brodiaea species: B. filifolia, B. orcuttii, and B. terrestris kernensis (BTK), formerly listed as B. jolonensis. There are several hypotheses for the origin of this unusual Brodiaea, but the simplest is a natural hybrid between BTK (with at least 36 chromosomes) and B. filifolia or B. orcuttii (each with 24 chromosomes). The staminode is similar to BTK and the difference in chromosome numbers of parents is a typical cause of hybrid sterility due to failure of meiosis and the lack of viable gametes (i.e. chromosomes do not match or pair up at synapsis).
  Hypotheses For Origin Of Sterile Hybrid Brodiaea  

Following Flower Image Is A Hybrid From A Cross
Between Coastal BTK & B. filifolia or B. orcuttii:

Sterile hybrid Brodiaea In Brodiaea Garden

Fertile (Seed-Bearing) Hybrid In Brodiaea Garden

Also originally observed in the vernal pool field of San Marocos in 2008, the flowers appeared a little different from the other nearby Brodiaea species: B. filifolia, B. orcuttii, and B. terrestris kernensis (BTK). I excluded BTK as a possible parent because its sporophyte chromosome number is at least 36 and both B. filifolia and B. orcuttii have 24 chromosomes. As I stated above, a difference in the chromosome numbers of parents is a typical cause of hybrid sterility. In addition, the filiform staminodes are similar to B. filifolia and not BTK. The long stamen filaments are similar to B. orcuttii, a species without staminodes. This is a seed-bearing hybrid with abundant pollen, unlike the previous sterile hybrid. The flowers and growth form are smaller and noticeably different from B. santarosae in the garden.
  Explanation For Origin Of Fertile Hybrid Brodiaea  

White Brodiaea orcuttii In Vernal Pool Depression in San Marcos

White Brodiaea orcuttii in San Marcos vernal pool field. Photographed Sat. May 16, 2020. Unfortunately the fate of this remarkable field of vernal pools and rare & endangered plants is uncertain.

  Index Of Brodiaea Pages On Wayne's Word  
Brodiaea Species In Central & Southern CA

Previous Brodiaea Images From Wayne's Facebook Trivia Note Pages

Wayne's Trivia Note #1 (26 May 2012)

Update on field of wild brodiaeas in San Marcos. These are some of the rarest native wildflowers in California. The field is surrounded by industrial buildings and a shopping center. The DNA of my brodiaea samples is being analyzed at the University of Missouri. For more information see the following page on Wayne's Word: https://www2.palomar.edu/users/warmstrong/vernal1h.htm.

Wayne's Trivia Note #284 (18 June 2015)

It's Brodiaea santarosae blooming time again. I coauthored this species with Tom Chester and Kay Madore in Madrono (2007). See Fremontia Article

Wayne's Trivia Note #427 (2 March 2017)

This was my 1st Trivia Note (26 May 2012). [See Trivia Note #1 2nd Image Above.] It is a rare (possibly undescribed) Brodiaea that blooms each spring in a field near Palomar College. With all the rain it should bloom this May! It also occurs on Gaviota Pass (Santa Barbara County) south to Otay Mtn on the Mexican border. It was once called B. jolonensis, but that species grows in Monterey County on the Hunter Liggett Army Base and is much different. In the latest Jepson Manual: Vascular Plants of California (2012) it is listed under B. jolonensis as: "Pls in SW, n Baja CA with green ovaries, white staminodes may be undescribed taxon."

Wayne's Trivia Note #428 (3 March 2017)

2 March 2017: The San Marcos Vernal Pools have water and the federally endangered San Diego Fairy Shrimp. These tiny crustaceans have been dormant in this field during the 5 year drought (or longer). They survive as embryos within resistant eggs called cysts which are embedded in the desiccated mud sediment. Numerous wildflowers are also sprouting, including brodiaeas & star lilies. Unfortunately, some of the pools have been thrashed by wreckless offroaders.
  San Marcos Vernal Pools  

Wayne's Trivia Note #441 (20 April 2017)


Interesting Brodiaea: It is listed under B. jolonensis in Jepson Manual (2012) as possible "undescribed taxon." It appears different from B. jolonensis in Monterey County (Fort Hunter Liggett Army Base). Is this a new taxon in the process of evolving? See Does Brodiaea jolonensis Occur in San Diego County?

Wayne's Trivia Note #496 (2 March 2018)

My Brodiaea Garden is now completely screened against gophers, rabbits, ground squirrels & chipmunks. It contains native brodiaeas from Kern & Monterey Counties to the Mexican border. The flower image is from a field in San Marcos and may represent an undescribed taxon. Unfortunately, the field now has a large FOR SALE sign. More About Brodiaea Species In Garden

Wayne's Trivia Note #514 (5 June 2018)

Most of the CA brodiaea corms I collected years ago for DNA research did not survive at my home; however, this June (2018) a rare species from the Santa Rosa Plateau that I coauthored with Tom Chester is in full bloom at my garden in Twin Oaks Valley. Santa Rosa Basalt Brodaea

Wayne's Trivia Note #580 (4 May 2019)

Promiscuous brodiaeas in San Marcos Vernal Pool Field. A. Fertile hybrid between 2 closely related species with same # of chromosomes. B. Sterile hybrid between 2 species with different chromosome number. This field is a marvelous study site for a Botany student.