Brodiaea--TOW
Jane McGary (Sun, 22 Jun 2003 08:16:38 PDT)

Liz asked,

I think so. The flowers are waxy in texture and thick in substance, and
they seem to draw their moisture from the long, succulent stems and
pedicels. If they become detached at ground level, flowers can keep opening
for some time. I don't know if they would ripen seed, but certainly if you
pick stems with green capsules, they ripen quite well in the house without
water. Often brodiaeas (or their relatives) are the only flowers to be seen
in dry fields in California or eastern Oregon. This suggests using them as
cutflowers, and certainly the big showy ones like B. californica, B.
elegans, or Triteleia peduncularis would be handsome in arrangements.
Dichelostemma ida-maia is good for "artistic" or "modernist" arrangements
with its often contorted stems and exotic floral shape.

Jane McGary
Northwestern Oregon