In February and early March, the Fetid Adder’s Tongue (the botanical name is Scoliopus bigelovii) appears in shady areas in coastal California. This unlikely member of the lily family is small, perhaps and inch across. So the flower petal that dominates this picture is perhaps 3/8 of an inch all together.
Thoroughly improbable and full of grace, this surprising, tiny, and ganglious flower must smell bad (hence the “fetid” in the name). But I didn’t notice any odor at all when I photographed this Fetid Adder’s Tongue on the Cataract Trail just above Cataract Falls.
Brian Hamilton
28 Jun 2016Hi Harold,
Love the photo. The addertongue is a favorite of mine and would like to grow it in the UK….Do you have any idea where I could get 10-20 bulbs of this plant, who sells them or grows them where you live.
Now is a good time as they have flowered, grown and will soon dry out for summer, ready for next year planting.
Many thanks Brian Hamilton Plant collector…crazy plant passions.