Hooveria parviflora
A bulb-forming perennial monocot in the Asparagaceae, native to dry coastal-sage scrub of southern California and northwest Baja California, arising from a dark-coated bulb with wavy basal leaves and a tall inflorescence bearing day-opening white to pink flowers that last one day, reclassified from Agavaceae into Hooveria by Taylor & Keil (2018).
Common Names
Smallflower Soap Plant, Amole
Summary
Smallflower Soaproot is a bulbous geophyte native to coastal southern California and Baja California. It grows from a dark brown, membranous-coated bulb 4–7 cm in diameter and sends up a flowering stalk to 30–90 cm tall; the inflorescence bears two to several flowers per node with a white to pink perianth (darker midvein) and petals just under 1 cm long, opening in the morning for a single day. The fruit is a capsule a few millimeters long containing 1–2 black, ovoid seeds per chamber, and basal leaves from the bulb top are 3–9 mm wide with wavy margins.
In cultivation, it requires full sun and very low water, and naturally occurs in dry open habitats such as coastal sage scrub and valley grassland; it supports caterpillars and butterflies, making it a wildlife-friendly choice for appropriate landscapes.
Lifecycle
Perennial
Height
1-3 feet
Sunlight Requirements
Ideally full sun.
Bloom Color
White, Pink
Bloom Time
Spring to Summer
Seasons of Interest
Spring and Summer
Propagation Methods
Cuttings
Attracts Wildlife
Attracts butterflies
Taxonomy
- Taxonomic Rank
- Species
- Author
- (S.Watson) D.W.Taylor & D.J.Keil
- Publication
- Phytoneuron 2018-67: 2. 2018
Superior Taxa
- Kingdom
- Plantae
- Subkingdom
- Pteridobiotina
- Phylum
- Angiosperms
- Order
- Asparagales
- Family
- Asparagaceae
- Genus
- Hooveria