Blue Sand Lily
Palmer's Baja-lily
Triteleiopsis palmeri
Photographed about 15 km south of Sonoyta, Sonora, Mexico. 4 March 2012.
PERENNIAL: Regrows each winter-spring if there is enough precipitation.
Undergound are a series of bulbs (corms) that remain dormant the remainder of the year.
FLOWERS: Clusters of six-petaled flowers on a tall, smooth stalk. Up to
50 cm tall. Blooms late winter or early spring.
LEAVES: The strap-shaped leaves are all at ground level and begin
yellowing as the flowers bloom. In some years of lower precipitation only
leaves are produced.
RANGE: Rare in the sandy areas of far southwestern Arizona close to the
border with Sonora. More common in sandy areas in northwestern Sonora and Baja
California.
FRUIT: Pod-like, with three partitions.
UNARMED.