Taxon Report

Brodiaea insignis (Jeps.) Niehaus

Kaweah brodiaea

Print Report


© 2007 Robert E. Preston, Ph.D.

Taxon Summary

Brodiaea insignis, commonly known as Kaweah brodiaea, is a perennial bulbiferous herb in the Themidaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Cismontane woodland, Meadows and seeps, and Valley and foothill grassland, growing at elevations from 150 to 1400 meters. Brodiaea insignis is ranked 1B.2, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Moderately threatened in California.


  Classification

Scientific Name:
Brodiaea insignis (Jeps.) Niehaus
Common Name:
Kaweah brodiaea
Family: Themidaceae
Element Code: PMLIL0C060
USDA Plants Symbol: BRIN5
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History

Lifeform: perennial bulbiferous herb
Blooming Period: Apr-Jun Apr-Jun
Elevation: 150-1400 (490-4595)
General Habitats: Cismontane woodland, Meadows and seeps, Valley and foothill grassland
Microhabitat: Clay (sometimes), Granitic (sometimes)
Microhabitat Details:

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB

Total Occurrences: 27
Element Occurrence Ranks:
   Excellent (A) 3
   Good (B) 9
   Fair (C) 3
   Poor (D) 0
   None (X) 0
   Unknown (U) 12
California Endemic:  True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Tulare (TUL)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Camp Wishon (3611826), Case Mountain (3611847), Chickencoop Canyon (3611838), Dennison Peak (3611837), Kaweah (3611848), Solo Peak (3611816), Springville (3611827), Woodlake (3611941)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB

Threat List Total: 6
EOs with Threat Listed: Total EOs % of EOs
21 78 %
Grazing 17 62%
Development 8 29%
Foot traffic/trampling 3 11%
Road/trail construction/maint. 2 7%
Altered flood/tidal/hydrologic regime 1 3%
Other 1 3%

Notes

Known only from the Tule and Kaweah River drainages. Threatened by residential development, road maintenance, vehicles, grazing, and non-native plants. See Flora of California 1(6):288 (1922) by W.L. Jepson for original description, and University of California Publications in Botany 60:52 (1971) for revised nomenclature.
Threats:
Taxonomy:
Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 7 February 2025].