Hooveria purpurea

From FWS (2008): Chlorogalum purpureum is a perennial lily with a basal cluster of bright green leaves, which are elongate, with a wavy margin, and with a thickened midrib (USFWS 2002, Holland 2004, Guretzky et al. 2005). The basal leaves typically range from 1 to 8 in number (Woodbury 2005b), but as many as 14 have been recorded (Guretzky et al. 2005), with a width of 2 to 5 mm (0.1 to 0.2 inch). The bulb is ovoid, 2.5 to 3.0 cm (0.98 to 1.2 inches) long, white to brown in color, and occurs in the upper few inches of soil (USFWS 2002, Holland 2004). The flower cluster is borne on a single stem with multiple branches. The flowers are deep blue or purple with bright yellow anthers. The fruits are capsules, each with three chambers containing one or two black, ovoid seeds.

Chlorogalum purpureum var. reductum seems to be identical to Chlorogalum purpureum var. purpureum except for its compact, dwarf habit of growth. The two are generally distinct in their extreme forms, but may intergrade (Flora of North America Editorial Committee 2002a).

Narrow, wavy 1-8(14) bright green basal leaves with thick midribs. There are usually one to eight leaves. Widely spaced blue or purple flowers on naked stem with long stamens with yellow anthers around a protruding style.

Cismontane woodland, valley and foothill grassland, and chaparral, between 205 and 630 m elevation (CNPS 2011). Both varieties have been reported to grow in association with cryptogamic crusts (USFWS 2008). All locations for C. purpureum var. purpureum and C. purpureum var. reductum are in semiarid environments and have a Mediterranean climate with summers that are hot and dry, and winters that are cool and wet (USFWS 2008).

From USFWS (2008): On Fort Hunter Liggett, there are hundreds of discontinuous patches of C. purpureum var. purpureum in grassland, oak savanna, and oak woodland communities where other vegetation is sparse. They occur in association with both deep and relatively thin soils. Most of the soils are loamy, underlain by clay, and with fine gravel generally less than 0.5 cm (0.2 inch) in diameter on the surface. Most sites have flat topography or slopes of less than 10%. A few populations occur along ridgetop terraces (USFWS 2008). C. purpureum var. reductum in the Los Padres National Forest grows in open areas on a ridgetop in blue oak savanna and annual grassland, and in open areas in grassland and woodland. Most reports state that C. purpureum var. reductum grows in serpentine soil. However, the USFWS (2002) reports it to grow in "well-drained red clay soils" with a large amount of gravel and pebbles. The soil has also been described as a supermature lateritic (not serpentine as in Munz or Miocene redbeds of others) with very little nutrient value, hard and red when dry. In sum, the soil type for C. purpureum var. reductum is not serpentine.