BJ Monterey County

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BTK In San Marcos

Brodiaea jolonensis?

Brodiaea elegans

Key To Brodiaeas

Index Of Brodiaea Pages

Brodiaea jolonensis In Monterey County, California

The Indians: Los Padres National Forest

Trait	Kern County BTK	S. California Coastal BTK	S. California Montane BTK	Central Calif. BTT	Central Calif. BJ
Fls gen > 24 mm	X	X	X	--	--
Fls gen 15-22 mm	--	X	--	X	X
Staminode inrolled	X	--	X	X	--
Staminode hooded	--	X	--	--	X
Staminode slightly hooded & inrolled	--	X	--	--	X
Ovary green	X	X	X	X	--
Ovary purple	--	--	--	--	X
Top of connective with dentate lobe	--	--	--	X	--
Connective with V-shaped notch	X	X	X	--	X
Dentate lobe in center of notch	X	X	--	--	--
Connate ridge 0.5-2 mm	--	X	--	X	X
Connate ridge < 0.5 mm or 0	X	--	X	--	--
Inner perianth 9 vasc strands	X	X	X	--	--
Inner perianth 3-4 strands	--	--	--	X	X
Sporophyte chromosome #	48	36?	?	12, 36	12 (Jolon)

1. Measured from attachment point at pedicel to tip of perianth segment.
2. Flower length of Coastal BTK has range of 17-30 mm.
3. Top of connective tissue extends into a pointed tooth resembling an inverted-V.
4. Top of connective has an indentation or notch resembling a V or a U.
5. Notch in top of connective contains a pointed toothlike lobe resembling the center of a W.
6. This is a narrow ridge of inner perianth tissue between the bases of adjacent staminodes and filaments. When viewed from above, it appears to fuse the bases of staminodes and filaments into a connate ring of tissue. In some species this ridge may be at least one mm in thickness. In others, it is less than 0.5 mm and barely discernable or lacking. It is barely discernable in some populations of Kern County BTK and southern California Montane BTK, but is conspicuous in Coastal BTK of southern California and Brodiara jolonensis of central California.

See Explanation for the Connate Ridge In Brodiaea Species
Connate Ridge of Brodiaea jolonensis in Monterey County
Connate Ridge of Coastal BTK in Santa Barbara County

7. Brodiaea jolonensis appears to be endemic to the Coast Ranges of central California (primarily Monterey County). Reports of BJ in southern California (Santa Barbara to the Mexican border) appear to be Coastal BTK. Reports of BJ on Santa Catalina and San Miguel Island are also Coastal BTK. The taxonomic status of Coastal BTK is enigmatic because it tends to intergrade with Montane BTK on the Santa Rosa Plateau of Riverside County.
8. There are other characteristics not listed in the above table. Some of these are quite variable and might be correlated with annual rainfall or other factors. In general, BJ has consistently the longest scapes of all brodiaea populations observed (up to 29 cm). BTT has the consistently shortest scapes, often only 2-6 cm long. Inland BTT in the La Panza Range resemble a diminutive version of Kern County BTK, except the staminodes are more strongly bent inward. Ovaries of BJ in Monterey County are consistently purple, a trait that is shared by no other species. Some Coastal and Montane BTK in southern California have green ovaries with faint streaks of purple, but these could hardly be called purple. Chromosome numbers need further study. Niehaus' numbers of 36 for BJ in southern California obviously refer to Coastal BTK.

BJ habitat in grassy meadow with Valley Oak and Coulter pine.

Meadow area near The Indians in Santa Lucia Range of Monterey County.

Brodiaea jolonensis showing slightly hooded staminodes.

The Brodiaea jolonensis in this region commonly had scapes of 20 cm or more, generally longer than populations of BTK. May 2006 appeared to be an exceptional year for BJ populations here. There were coming everywhere, even in The Indians parking area!

Brodiaea jolonensis has a distinctive purple ovary, a trait not shared by other Brodiaea species. Some Coastal BTK and Montane BTK in southern California may have faint purple streaks, but nothing that could be described as purple! The hooded staminodes are also slightly inrolled along their margins.

Flowers of Brodiaea jolonensis have a connate ring (ridge) at the bases of staminodes and filaments. This ring is also present in BTT and Coastal BTK. A purple ovary can be seen deep within the floral tube of this flower.

Brodiaea jolonensis showing a connate ring or ridge at the bases of the staminodes and filaments. The ridge may be up to 2 mm in width.

Close-up view of connate ridge between the bases of staminodes and filaments.

The road to The Indians crosses two streams of running water.

Valley oak (Quercus lobata) with the epiphytic lichen called "California Spanish moss" (Ramalina menziesii).

Wayne's Word Page On Fruticose Lichens

Brodiaea jolonensis from Monterey County grown in flower pot in Escondido (San Diego County). The flowers are slightly larger than those growing wild in the La Panza Range.

Brodiaea jolonensis from Monterey County grown in flower pot in Escondido (San Diego County). The flowers are slightly larger than those growing wild in the La Panza Range.

Triplet Vascular Pattern Of Fresh BJ Inner Perianth Segment

The inner perianth segments of all Brodiaea species are composed of three primary vascular bundles. The bundles are subdivided into separate vascular strands, each composed of vessels with spirally thickened secondary cell walls. According to Niehaus (1971), the bundles separate into strands, the number of which is characteristic for certain species. The bundles of Brodiaea jolonensis do not separate into multiple strands, and therefore, each bundle represents one strand. I have seen one or more bundles of BJ with two strands; and therefore, the total number of strands can be at least 4. In Coastal BTK, the bundles typically separate into two or three strands, and the total number of strands can be nine. The three primary bundles are relatively easy to determine at 100x magnification; however, the total number of strands can be difficult to see. The bottom line here is that the vascular bundles of Coastal BTK clearly separate into more vascular strands than BJ. The number may be as high as nine. This higher number number for Coastal BTK has been verified from populations throughout southern California and from Santa Catalina and San Miguel Islands. It could be explained by the fact that BTK typically has larger flowers than BJ.

Microscopic view of inner perianth segment of a fresh Brodiaea jolonensis flower from Monterey County showing three primary vascular bundles. Unlike Coastal BTK, the bundles typically do not separate into multiple strands. Niehaus (1971) refers to these unseparated bundles as three strands. In some places along the segment, a bundle may separate into two strands (center of photo). Each strand is composed of vessels with spirally thickened secondary cell walls. In B. terrestris ssp. kernensis the primary bundles separate into multiple strands, a total of nine vascular strands. Perianth segment cleared in 10% NaOH and stained with safranin. (Magnification 200 x).

Highly magnified view of two vascular strands within the inner perianth segment of Brodiaea jolonensis. A third lower strand is not shown in this image. The strands are composed of vessels with spirally thickened secondary cell walls. Only the spirally thickened walls (appearing like coiled springs) are visible with the safranin stain. In between the two strands are two vessels which have separated from the strands. Perianth segment cleared in 10% NaOH and stained with safranin. (Magnification 500 x). Note: A vessel is composed of water-conducting cells called vessel elements connected end-to-end forming a microscopic tube. Vessels are typically found in the xylem tissue of angiosperms.

Explanation of Vascular Strands in Brodiaeas

Freight train going south through the town of Bradley, between King City and Paso Robles. The specific epithet "jolonensis" commemorates the extinct town of Jolon (ho-LONE) in southern Monterey County. All that remains of Jolon today are the crumbling walls of the old Dutton Hotel. In 1876, Jolon was a thriving town serving the Los Burros Gold Mines, surrounding ranches, and weary highway travelers. With the completion of the Southern Pacific railroad connecting King City with Paso Robles in the late 1800s, travelers began following a different route.

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