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Bulbs, Corms, Tubers, and Rhizomes for California Gardens

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Bulbs for California Gardens

Bulbs bring an element of surprise to the garden. Here now, gone for the season, only to come back next year. Many have the ultimate drought avoidance mechanism, they just drop all their foliage and wait it out until the conditions get nice again. This list includes plants with true bulbs, corms and rhizomes. All are plants that completely abandon their above ground foliage at one time of the year or another.

The potential list of bulbs, corms, tubers, and rhizomes is a long one. There are a few Tulips that tolerate our dry summer climate and will come back season after season in spite of our warm winters. Freesia, Ixia, Scilla, and Sparaxis species all do quite well in gardens lucky enough to have warm Winters. Narcissus and Daffodils are often low chill enough to perform quite well. I am fond of the species Gladiolus, Crocosmia and Watsonia group.

California sports a wealth of bulbs of its own, including Allium, Calochortus, Bloomeria, Frittilaria, Tritelia, Zigadenus species

Bulbs, Corms, Tubers and Rhizomes List

Acidanthera bicolor * Peacock Orchid, Abyssinian Sword Lily, Fragrant Gladiolus
Albuca nelsonii * Natal Albuca
Allium howellii var howellii * Howell's Onion
Alstroemeria Eliane Orange * Eliane Orange Peruvian Lily
Alstroemeria Flame * Red Peruvian Lily, Flame Peruvian Lily
Alstroemeria Inca Ice * Cream Peruvian Lily, Inca Ice Peruvian Lily
Alstroemeria Indian Summer * Indian Summer Peruvian Lily
Alstroemeria Ligtu Hybrids * Ligtu Hybrids Peruvian Lily
Alstroemeria psittacina * Parrot Lily
Alstroemeria Salmon * Salmon Peruvian Lily
Alstroemeria Sussex Gold * Golden Peruvian Lily, Sussex Gold Peruvian Lily
Anomatheca laxa * Flowering Grass, False Freesia
Arum palaestinum * Black Calla Lily, Solomon's Lily, Palestine Lily
Babiana Night Vision * Baboon Flower
Bloomeria crocea * California Goldenstar
Brodiaea elegans ssp elegans * Harvest Brodiaea
Brodiaea Rudy
Bulbinella nutans * Cat's Tail
Calochortus albus * Fairy Lily
Calochortus catalinae * Catalina Mariposa Lily
Calochortus clavatus var clavatus * Club Hair Mariposa Lily
Calochortus clavaus var pallidus* Club Hair Mariposa Lily
Calochortus fimbriatus * Late Blooming Mariposa Lily
Calochortus invenustus * Plain Mariposa Lily
Calochortus kennedyi * Desert Mariposa Lily
Calochortus leichtlinii * Smokey Mariposa Lily
Calochortus minimus * Sierra Mariposa Lily
Calochortus monophyllus * Yellow Star Tulip
Calochortus nuttallii * Sego Mariposa Lily
Calochortus plummerae * Plummer's Mariposa Lily
Calochortus venustus * Butterfly Mariposa Lily
Camassia quamash * Camas
Canna Lily Durban * Durban Canna Lily
Canna Lily Lucifer * Lucifer Canna Lily
Canna Lily Tropicanna Black * Tropicanna Black Canna Lily
Crinum powellii album * Swamp Lily, Cape Lily
Crinum procerum splendens * Queen Emma's Purple Crinum
Crocosmia lucifer * Montbretia
Crocosmia solfatare * Montbretia
Cyrtanthus mackenii * Ifafa Lily
Dichelostemma capitatum * Blue Dicks
Dierama pulcherrimum * Angel's Fishing Rod, Fairy Wand Flower
Dietes bicolor * Yellow Wild Iris, African Iris
Dietes grandiflora * Fortnight Lily
Dracunculus vulgaris * Voodoo Lily
Drimia maritima, Urginea maritima * Sea Squill
Erythronium grandiflorum * Glacier Lily, Yellow Avalanche Lily
Eucomis bicolor * Pineapple Lily
Freesia alba * Wild Freesia
Freesia laxa * Flowering Grass, False Freesia
Frittilaria biflora * Chocolate Lily
Gladiolus dalenii * Corn Flag
Gladiolus murielae * Peacock Orchid, Abyssinian Sword Lily, Fragrant Gladiolus
Gladiolus tristis * Yellow Marsh Africaner, Everflowering Gladiolus
Habranthus brachyandrus * Rain Lily
Habranthus robustus Russell Manning * Russell Manning Rain Lily
Haemanthus albiflos
Hippeastrum papilio * Butterfly Amaryllis
Hippeastrum Red Lion * Red Lion Amyrillis
Hippeastrum Red White * Amaryllis
Hesperocallis undulata * Desert Lily, Ajo Lily
Homeria collina * Cape Tulip
Homeria flaccida * One Leaf Cape Tulip
Hyacinthoides hispanica * Spanish Bluebell, Wood Hyacinth
Iphion uniflorum * Spring Star Flower
Iris Black Gamecock * Lousiana Iris Black Gamecock
Iris douglasiana Dorothea's Ruby * Pacific Coast Hybrid Iris Dorothea's Ruby
Iris douglasiana Royal Peacock * Royal Peacock Pacific Coast Hybrid Iris
Iris hartwegii * Sierra Iris, Hartweg's Iris
Iris Nada * (Iris japonica) Butterfly Iris
Ixia polystachya * African Corn Lily
Lachenalia aloides quadricolor * Cape Cowslip
Lapeirousia laxa * Flowering Grass, False Freesia
Lilium humboldtii * Humboldt Lily
Lilium parvum * Sierra Tiger Lily
Lycoris aurea * Golden Spider Lily
Lycoris radiata * Red Spider Lily, Red Magic Lily, Corpse Flower, Equinox Flower
Morea collina * Cape Tulip
Morea flaccida * One Leaf Cape Tulip
Narcissus Jenny * Jenny Daffodil
Narcissus King Alfred * Trumpet Daffodil
Narcissus Paperwhite * Paperwhite Jonquil
Ornithogalum fimbrimarginatum
Oxalis oregana * Redwood Sorrell
Oxalis triangularis * Purple Shamrock
Paeonia californica * California Peony
Ranunculus californicus * California Buttercup
Rhodohypoxis baurii * Rose Grass
Scadoxus puniceus Magnificus * Royal Paintbrush
Schizostylis coccinea * Kaffir Lily
Scilla hispanica * Spanish Bluebell, Wood Hyacinth
Scilla peruviana * Peruvian Lily, Portuguese Squill
Scilla scilloides * Chinese Squill
Sisyrinchium bellum * Blue Eyed Grass
Sisyrinchium californicum * Yellow Eyed Grass
Sisyrinchium Rocky Point * Rocky Point Blue Eyed Grass
Sisyrinchium striatum * Satin Flower
Sisyrinchium striatum Aunt May * Variegated Satin Flower
Sparaxis tricolor hybrids * Wandflower, Harlequin Flower
Sprekellia formosissima * Aztec Lily
Stenomesson incarnatum
Tricyrtis hirta * Toad Lily
Triteleia laxa * Ithuriel's Spear
Triteleia ixioides ssp analina * Pretty Face
Triteleia Rudy
Tulbaghia fragrans * Sweet Garlic
Tulbaghia violacea * Society Garlic
Tulbaghia violacea Savannah Lightening * White Society Garlic
Urginea maritima * Sea Squill
Veltheimia bracteata * Forest Lily
Zantedeschia aethiopica * Calla Lily
Zephyranthes candida * Fairy Lily
Zephranthes citrina * Yellow Rain Lily, Citron Zephyr Lily
Zigadenus fremontii * Freemont's Star Lily