Plants 1-5 dm; corms 1.2-2 cm in diam. Leaves 3-10, 10-60 × 0.08-0.2 cm. Scape 8-38 cm. Flowers (4-)10-70; tepals greenish white with brownish midveins, mostly lanceolate; perianth tube 0.3-0.5 mm, lobes 3-6 × 2-3.5 mm; stamens 2-5 mm; filaments erect, filiform or subulate; anthers green, blue, or purple, 0.6-0.9 mm; pedicel 1-5 cm. Capsules 5-8 mm. Seeds 2-3 mm. 2n = 14, 16, 20.

Flowering spring (Mar--Jun). Coastal scrub, grasslands, woodlands, valleys; 0--2300 m; Calif.

Muilla maritima grows in a wide range of habitats and soil types compared to the other species of the genus. In most floras, the larger form found in Los Angeles and San Bernadino counties has been called M. serotina.