#geophyte

Toxicoscordion fremontii is a geophytic (grows from a subterranean storage vessel) plant from the lily order which grows in open spaces in chaparral habitats. With a common name of Fremont’s Death Camas, the lethality of this plant is made quite clear.  This toxicity stems from the steroidal alkaloid zygacine, which causes several symptoms potentially including death. When poisoning through consumption of these plants occurs, there is no antidote to the alkaloid and so the symptoms are treated with the hope that the body will sort the problem out with time. While many geophytic plants native to California were used by indigenous people as food, Toxicoscordion fremontii is fairly unique in that it was almost exclusively used for poisoning or poutices. Despite the rather horrifying characteristics of its poisoning, it is a stunning and beautiful plant, blooming in spring particularly following a year the area experienced wildfire. The green ring on the tepals indicates the flower’s nectary and the glossy exudate can be seen in both the visible and fluorescent images.

The white trout lily (Erythronium albidum) - I look forward to seeing this beauty every spring. Did you know it can take up to 7 years for a trout lily to produce its first flower? Think about that the next time you think about picking one. #spring #springephemeral #plants #botany #geophyte #botanizing #nature #biodiversity #ecology #nativeplants #forest #foresthealth #forestfloor #illinois #troutlily #erythronium #liliaceae

Pterostylis curta, the blunt greenhood, is a terrestrial orchid mainly from Australia. This terrestrial orchid emerges from a dormant corm to produce a single, quite strange, green and windowed flower. The flower uses visual or olfactory trickery (like many orchids) to attract certain flies. It possesses a sensitive labellum which when triggered will pin the insect against the column of the flower for around a minute before releasing it. If all goes well, the insect will bear sticky pollinia away from the flower ensuring cross pollination when it visits another. Like many geophytes (plants with underground storage vessels), it can also multiply asexually and establish genetically identical communities.

The curlyboys are fully awake now that it’s fall! Unlike the Massonias (may their memories be a blessing 😔) these survived their extended summer just fine, albeit slightly shriveled. I upgraded them to 4 inch pots so I’ll have to be extra careful about watering to make sure they don’t get rot until they fill out the space.

Fleur du Mal by James Gaither Via Flickr: Best viewed @ large size Ferraria crispa Iridaceae - Western Cape Province, South Africa Shown: Detail of flower; approx. 4cm in diameter "Ferraria is a genus of 11 species of monocotyledonous flowering plants in the family Iridaceae, native to tropical and southern Africa. They are herbaceous corm-bearing plants growing to 30-45 cm tall. Some species have an unpleasant scent similar to rotting meat and are pollinated by flies, while others have a pleasant scent." (Wikipedia) Photographed in U.C. Botanical Garden at Berkeley - Berkeley, California

This bulb is 2-3 years old. It’s a variety with the name gaikaford, famed for their enormous leaves, often more than 30cm.