Triteleia laxa

{{Short description|Species of flowering plant}}

{{About|the wildflower|the angelic being with a powerful spear|Ithuriel}}

{{Speciesbox

|taxon = Triteleia laxa

|name= Triteleia laxa

|image = Triteleia laxa flower in bloom.jpg

|authority = Benth.

}}

Triteleia laxa (previously Brodiaea laxa) is a triplet lily known by several common names, including Ithuriel's spear,{{PLANTS|id=TRLA16|taxon=Triteleia laxa|accessdate=16 December 2015}} 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.{{Citation |last=Chesnut |first=V K |year=1900–1902 |title=Plants used by the Indians of Mendocino County, California |volume=7 |pages=327–329 |location=Washington, DC |publisher=Government Printing Office |url=https://archive.org/details/cbarchive_121497_plantsusedbytheindiansofmendoc9999/page/n41}} The most used common name for the species, Ithuriel's spear, is a reference to the angel Ithuriel from Milton's Paradise Lost.{{Citation needed|reason=Where did this information come from?|date=March 2020}}