Brodiaea elegans subsp. elegans

Flowers: perianth tube 8-19 mm, lobes 15-30 mm; anthers 4-10 mm; staminodia erect distally, margins planate, straight; ovary 9-15 mm; style 7-15 mm. 2n = 12, 16, 24, 32.

Flowering spring--summer (May--Jul). Grasslands, meadows, open woodlands; 0--2200 m; Calif., Oreg.

Subspecies elegans, like Brodiaea coronaria subsp. coronaria, is very widespread and grows well in a variety of conditions. It has 2n = 16 in the upper foothills of the Sierra Nevada, but elsewhere 2n = 32 or, in a zone of contact with B. coronaria near Sonora, California, 2n = 12 and 24, apparently resulting from hybridization. This subspecies is in cultivation.