Hansen's Northwest Native Plant Database

Triteleia hyacinthina (Hyacinth Brodiaea, Fool’s Onion)

Formerly known as Triteleia hyacinthina, this lily has papery white flowers with green veins that often have a purple cast to them.

Although not hyacinths, they are thought to resemble the beloved flower.

Neither is this brodiaea an onion, but I think it much more resembles the allium family and is why it is given the common name Fool’s Onion.

This west coast native brodiaea is frequently found from southern British Columbia to northern California west of the Cascade Mountains. It is not uncommon to find it growing among grasses or sagebrush.

Grows in USDA zones 4-9 in a well-drained sunny spot.

Photo credentials: Page top and above left both from Stan Shebs; above right and below left, both from Walter Siegmund; below center, watercolor from Mary Vaux walcott.