wild hyacinths

genus Dichelostemma

Member of brodiaea subfamily (subfamily Brodiaeoideae)
asparagus family (family Asparagaceae)
monocots (class Liliopsida)
flowering plants (subphylum Angiospermae)

Except for extremely rare examples that I don't expect to encounter, there are no other wild species of this genus in the bay area.

Key features:

staminode color, leaning in or out [technically, it’s a filament appendage, but it looks like a staminode]
perianth tube narrowed above ovary or not

The defining difference is the number of stamens, but I can’t count them without taking apart the flower.

See also the similar blue dicks (Dipterostemon capitatus).

ookow
Dichelostemma congestum

ookow
Dichelostemma congestum

perianth blue-purple
staminodes erect, leaning away from anthers, deep-notched, ± purple
perianth tube narrowed above ovary or ± so
perianth parts generally narrower than ookow
bracts pale purple to green [not consistently distinct in CalPhotos]
inflorescence has few–many flowers, possibly so many that the cluster is near spherical, but that’s rare
flowers from May–June [from April, really]
scattered throughout the bay area

wild hyacinth
Dichelostemma multiflorum

wild hyacinth
Dichelostemma multiflorum

spreading corolla lobes (although blue dicks can sometimes be more or less spreading)
staminodes are each entire/truncate, not notched
perianth pink- to blue-purple

twining snakelily
Dichelostemma volubile

twining snakelily
Dichelostemma volubile

flower stem twining
perianth pink
very rare; [no observations in iNaturalist in the bay area]

1 observed taxon / 2 unobserved taxons / 1 key

Chris’s observations: 17 (15 are research grade)

Locations:

Sunol Wilderness RP: 6
Calero CP: 4
Edgewood Park & Natural Preserve: 3
Joseph D. Grant CP: 2
Skyline Ridge OSP
Wunderlich CP

Months:

Apr.: 6
May: 10
Jun.: 1

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Taxon info: iNaturalist – Calflora – Jepson eFlora – FNA

Bay Area species: iNaturalist – Calflora