Hastingsia Alba

Tall, strong stems hold inflorescence of many flowers, with smaller inflorescences branching off lower levels of the stem, each flower being cream or greenish-white with six curly, lily-like tepals. Each blossom has six white stamens with large brown anthers, and when the flowers fall away, they leave the fruits, which are green capsules containing black seeds. Rare and little known, even in the wet boggy places it inhabits in its northern California and southern Oregon home, this fascinating plant will baffle even the keenest plantsman or plantswoman. With a pale and unassuming beauty, it is often searched for by the botanical equivalents of ornithological "Twitchers"! And finally, it is a major attractant for all pollinating insects.