1. Staminodes 0
1' Staminodes present

This couplet separates B. orcuttii from the remaining two species in San Marcos:

2. Perianth lobes widely spreading.
2' Perianth lobe ascending.

This couplet separates B. filifolia from the remaining Brodiaea species in San Marcos:

Note: The new species Brodiaea santarosae also keys out under perianth lobes widely spreading, except the flowers are much larger than B. filifolia. It has a perianth 35 mm long with a widely spreading corolla 40 to 50 mm in diameter. In addition, the staminodes can be erect or reflexed, generally longer than B. filifolia or none at all. In fact, it can also key out with B. orcuttii under staminodes none. In addition, the filaments are up to 8.0 mm long, much longer than B. filifolia. This species is endemic to basalt soils of the Santa Rosa Plateau and nearby Elsinore Peak, both in Riverside County. It also extends into northern San Diego County in the Miller Mountain drainage.

9. Perianth tube narrowed above ovary or staminodes = perianth width.
9' Perianth tube not narrowed above ovary; staminodes narrower than perianth.

11. Staminodes narrowly linear, wavy.
11' Staminodes wider at base, not wavy.

14. Staminodes standing away from stamens; perianth tube funnel-shaped.
14' Staminodes leaning in toward stamens; perianth tube bell-shaped.

This couplet separates B. elegans from B. jolonensis & B. terrestris:

The staminode position is one of the ambiguous sections of the key. Although the staminodes are erect or only slightly "leaning in toward stamens," they are definitely curved inwardly toward stamens at their apex (hooded). The Jepson Manual description for B. terrestris is "staminodes leaning inward slightly but held away from stamens, 4-5 mm, violet to whitish, margin inrolled 1/4, tip slightly hooded, ± 2-notched." The Jepson Manual description for B. elegans is "staminodes 6-9 mm, = stamens, erect, flat (or margin inrolled 1/4), acute or 3-lobed, white to pale lilac, standing away from stamens, tip erect or slightly recurved." These two descriptions are similar, but B. terrestris is the better fit. The staminodes clearly extend above the stamens, not = stamens as in B. elegans. In addition, the staminode position is virtually identical to B. jolonensis which also separates out under 14' along with B. terrestris. To really appreciate the difference in staminode positions, see the following images of B. elegans:

16. Fl 24-38 mm; staminodes strongly inrolled; Sacramento Valley north to Vancouver Island.
16' Fl 14-24 mm (35 mm in B. terrestris kernensis); staminodes hooded or inrolled. Central & s. Calif.

Note: In coastal populations of B. terrestris ssp. kernensis called Coastal BTK, the staminodes are hooded but not strongly inrolled along margins. Staminodes of mountain populations of B. terrestris ssp. kernensis called Montane BTK are not hooded but are more strongly inrolled along the margins; however, Montane BTK grown in Escondido in 2006 had hooded staminodes like coastal BTK.

In the Santa Rosa Plateau of Riverside County, Coastal BTK (also listed as B. terrestris ssp. kernensis in the literature) has a variety of staminodes: Erect and strap-shaped with a toothed apex; erect and hooded like the San Diego coastal populations, erect and inrolled along margins like the San Diego mountain populations, and inrolled but leaning away from stamens. In the Cuyamaca Lake area of San Diego County, there is also variation in staminodes, including non-hooded, slightly hooded, inrolled along margins and slightly inrolled. B. terrestris ssp. kernensis in Kern and Tulare Counties are very similar to southern California populations of Coastal BTK and Montane BTK.

18. Anther axis tissue entire; ovary purple.
18' Anther axis tissue dentate; ovary green.

This couplet separates B. jolonensis from B. terrestris. Based upon the ovary color and floral dimensions, the San Diego coastal and montane brodiaeas fit the description of B. terrestris ssp. kernensis; however, it is certainly not a perfect fit. The term "dentate connective" used in the Jepson key ideally applies to B. terrestris ssp. terrestris of central and northern California and to ssp. kernensis in Kern County. In these populations the apex of the anther connective extends into a prominent tooth. In southern California populations labeled ssp. kernensis, the connective apex has a U-shaped or V-shaped notch without a true, well-defined dentate appendage. At the base of this notch there may be a minute "dentate" appendage, although it is absent in most southern California populations. With a small "dentate" appendage at the base, the notch appears W-shaped. B. jolonensis has an entire, V-shaped notch without a dentate appendage. These subtle differences are difficult to observe in pressed herbarium specimens. The couplet "anther axis dentate vs. entire" is not that useful for distinguishing southern California populations of B. terrestris ssp. kernensis from B. jolonensis.

19. Infl. 2-20 cm; fls 26-35 mm ............ssp. kernensis
19' Infl. 0.5-7 cm; fls 16-25 mm ...........ssp. terrestris

Based upon the hooded staminodes with minute appendages in the anther connectives, the San Marcos, Kearny Mesa and Otay Mesa brodiaeas appear slightly different from the Montane BTK. I am calling these populations Coastal BTK, although they might all be the same species.

In Brodiaea terrestris ssp. terrestris of Monterey County, the anther connective is dentate but without the conspicuous U-shaped or V-shaped notch as in ssp. kernensis. The connective tissue proliferates into a distinct dentate appendage or lobe. Flowers of ssp. terrestris are much smaller than ssp. kernensis, and they are produced near the ground on very short scapes only 0.5 to 7 cm tall. The common name "earth brodiaea" is derived from the close proximity of the flowers to the ground.

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