Common Name: TECOPHILAEA FAMILY
Habit: Perennial herb; corm deep, outer coat fibrous. Stem: 1, erect, +- zigzag. Leaf: mostly basal, linear [to lanceolate], sheathing. Inflorescence: panicle, in smaller plants raceme; bracts scarious. Flower: perianth parts 6 in 2 petal-like whorls, free or fused, often reflexed; stamens 6, fused to perianth parts, alternate 6 staminodes, anthers attached at base; ovary superior, chambers 3, style 1, stigma +- 3-lobed. Fruit: capsule, loculicidal. Seed: 3, brown.
Genera In Family: 9 genera: 23 species: western United States, Africa, Chile. Etymology: (Based on the genus Tecophilaea Bertero ex Colla, named for Tecophila Billotti, botanical artist and daughter of Italian botanist Luigi Aloysius Colla (1766--1848), credited with publishing the genus name)
eFlora Treatment Author: Dale W. McNeal
Scientific Editor: Thomas J. Rosatti.