Triteleia laxa
Triteleia laxa (previously "Brodiaea laxa") is a triplet lily known by several common names, including Ithuriel's spear, common triteleia and grassnut. It is native to California where it is a common wildflower, and it is occasionally found in southwestern Oregon. It bears a tall, naked stem topped with a spray of smaller stalks, each ending in a purple or blue flower. The flower is tubular, opening into a sharply six-pointed star. The plant grows from a corm which is edible and similar in taste and use as the potato. The most used common name for the  species, Ithuriel's spear, is a reference to the angel Ithuriel from Milton's "Paradise Lost". Cultivation. Hardiness: USDA 6-10 Etymology. The genus name "Triteleia" is derived from Greek and means 'triplicate', a reference to its flower parts, which are in multiples of three. The epithet "laxa" means 'open', 'uncrowded', 'distant', 'spreading', or 'lax'. It is derived from the Latin adjective , meaning 'flaccid, loose'.