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Brodiaea hyacinthina

Fool's Onion, White Brodiaea

At a Glance: Onion-like plant from an underground corm, with large clusters of white flowers at tip of stems.

Height: 10-30 inches (25-70 cm).
Growth Form: Herb.
Leaves: 1-2 grass-like leaves at plant base; wither after flowering; size: 40 cm (16 in) long, 1 cm wide; color: green.
Flowers: In large umbel at top of a slender stalk 25-70 cm (10-28 in) tall and surpassing leaves. 3-5 bracts below umbel are small and papery. Each braodly bell-shaped flower is white to light blue, with blue or green veins; size: 1-1.5 cm long.
Flowering Period: May, June, August.
Fruits: Stalked capsules.


Photo © 2003, Starflower Foundation

Sun/Shade Tolerance	Hydrology	Elevation Range
full sun > 80% mostly sunny 60%-80% partial sun and shade 40%- 60% mostly shady 60%-80% full shade > 80%	Can occur in wetlands that dry out by late summer. wet moist dry Wetland Indicator Status: NI (no indicator data)	0-2000 m; prefers uplands, but wet prairies also. low elevation mid elevation sub-alpine high elevation

Soil Preferences
Also found in sagebrush deserts east of Cascades.
sandy soils gravelly soils clay soils muddy soils peaty soils	well drained soils shallow soils deep soils acidic soils basic soils	humic soils nutrient rich soils nutrient poor soils mineral soils organic soils

Habitat Preferences
Aquatic and Wetland: Ponds or lakes Shallow pools Sloughs Swales or wet ditches Seasonally inundated areas Marshes or swamps Aquatic bed wetlands Emergent wetlands Scrub-shrub wetlands Forested wetlands Bogs, fens Seeps, springs Shorelines and Riparian: Lake shores Bog margins Streams or rivers Stream or river banks Riparian corridors River bars Floodplains Bottomlands Alluvial areas	Saltwater Areas: In or near saltwater Mud flats Tidal areas Estuaries Saltmarshes Brackish water Seashores Coastal dunes or beaches Rocky or Gravelly Areas: Coastal bluffs Cliffs Rocky slopes Outcrops Crevices Glacial outwash Gullies Slide areas Sub-alpine and Alpine: Heaths Snow beds Tundra Avalanche tracks	Forests and Thickets: Forests and woods Open forests Coniferous forests Old growth forests Deciduous forests Mixed forests Nurse logs Forest edges, openings, or clearings Thickets Meadows and Fields: Pastures or fields Meadows or grassy areas Mossy areas Disturbed Areas: Roadsides Trailsides Logged sites Burned areas Disturbed sites

Wildlife Value

(data not available)

Ethnobotanical Uses and Other Facts

Name Info: Known as Hyacinth Brodiaea because the flowers somewhat resemble hyacinths, which are typically purplish-blue. Hyacinth was either Homers name for a flower that sprang from the blood of Hyakinthose, or from an earlier (Thraco-pelagian) word for the blue color of water. The plant somewhat resembles an onion, but it has no onion flavor or smell.

Suggested References

Guard, B.J. 1995. Wetland Plants of Oregon & Washington. Lone Pine Publishing. Page 100.
Hickman, J.C., ed. 1993. The Jepson Manual: Higher Plants of California. University of California Press. Page 1207.
Hitchcock, C.L., A. Cronquist. 1973. Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press. Page 685.
Jacobson A.L. 2001. Wild Plants of Greater Seattle. Published by author. Page 454.
Kruckeberg, A.R. 1996. 2nd ed. Gardening with Native Plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press. Page 151.
Lyons, C., W. Merilees. Trees and Shrubs to Know in Washington and British Columbia. Lone Pine Publishing. Page 186.
Pojar, J., A. Mackinnon. 1994. Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast. Lone Pine Publishing. Page 107.

The landscaping and restoration information provided on this page is taken from Starflower Foundation Image Herbarium. All photographs © Starflower Foundation unless otherwise noted.