Taxon Report

Brodiaea rosea (Greene) Baker

Indian Valley brodiaea

Print Report


© 2014 Robert E. Preston, Ph.D.

Taxon Summary

Brodiaea rosea, commonly known as Indian Valley brodiaea, is a perennial bulbiferous herb in the Themidaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Chaparral, Cismontane woodland, Closed-cone coniferous forest, and Valley and foothill grassland, growing at elevations from 335 to 1450 meters. Brodiaea rosea is ranked 3.1, Plants About Which We Need More Information, A Review List; Seriously threatened in California.


  Classification

Scientific Name:
Brodiaea rosea (Greene) Baker
Common Name:
Indian Valley brodiaea
Family: Themidaceae
Element Code: PMLIL0C0K3
USDA Plants Symbol:
Synonyms/Other Names:
  • Brodiaea coronaria ssp. rosea

Ecology and Life History

Lifeform: perennial bulbiferous herb
Blooming Period: May-Jun May-Jun
Elevation: 335-1450 (1100-4755)
General Habitats: Chaparral, Cismontane woodland, Closed-cone coniferous forest, Valley and foothill grassland
Microhabitat: Serpentine
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status

CA Rare Plant Rank: 3.1
Global Rank: G2Q
State Rank:
S2
State List: CE
Fed List: None
Other Status: BLM_S; USFS_S
CRPR Changes:
  • changed from 1B.1 to 3.1 on 2019-01-07

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB

Total Occurrences: 21
Element Occurrence Ranks:
   Excellent (A) 8
   Good (B) 4
   Fair (C) 4
   Poor (D) 0
   None (X) 1
   Unknown (U) 4
California Endemic:  True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Colusa (COL), Glenn (GLE), Lake (LAK), Shasta (SHA), Tehama (TEH), Trinity (TRI)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Chicken Hawk Hill (4112214), Gilmore Peak (3912235), Hough Springs (3912225), Leesville (3912224), Riley Ridge (3912286), Stonyford (3912245), Trinity Center (4012286), Trinity Dam (4012277), Wilbur Springs (3912214)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB

Threat List Total: 8
EOs with Threat Listed: Total EOs % of EOs
10 48 %
Other 6 28%
ORV activity 4 19%
Vandalism/dumping/litter 3 14%
Non-native plant impacts 2 9%
Dam/Inundation 2 9%
Grazing 1 4%
Mining 1 4%
Surface water diversion 1 4%

Notes

Recircumscribed as B. rosea ssp. rosea; principal components, cluster, and discriminant analyses clearly demonstrate the existence of two morphologically diagnostic taxonomic groups within B. rosea, but do not support recognition of serpentine endemic and non-serpentine taxa. Violet flowered populations with strongly inrolled staminodes, previously assigned to B. coronaria, are morphologically more similar to B. rosea, thereby greatly increasing its distribution to volcanic, non-serpentine, occurrences in northeastern CA, and north to British Columbia. Treated here as a serpentine ecotype from Interior North Coast and southeastern Klamath Ranges; further genetic and molecular data are needed to assess whether serpentine populations of B. rosea represent a morphologically-cryptic ecotype that is worthy of taxonomic status.
Threats:
Threatened by vehicles, dumping, and horticultural collecting.
Taxonomy:

Selected References

Proposed Change from California Rare Plant Rank 1B.1, G2 / S2 to 3.1, G2Q / S2
Bulletin of the California Academy of Sciences 2:137 (1886)
American Midland Naturalist 22:560-561 (1939)
Brodiaea rosea profile for potential Species of Conservation Concern evaluation (2018)
Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 27 January 2025].