Update note:
The new name of this plant is Toxicoscordion fremontii (Torr.) Rydb. in the MELANTHIACEAE family. Please see links at end of post.

The first large viewing stop along Figueroa Mountain is a serpentine area on the left. I call the it nine-mile-serpentine stop. A little further up the road from this spot, was a rocky hill with scattered plants of one variety of death camas. Mixed amongst these were a few chocolate lilies (lower left of photo), with very dark red flowers in contrast to a chocolate lily seen at the nine-mile-serpentine stop (next post, chocolate lilies).

(Figueroa Mountain – Field of Fremont’s Death Camas – Click image for larger version)

Death camas is a poisonous plant, and the name is derived from the fact that early explorers, who confused it with other camas, died or became very ill. The bulb of the plant, after being ground into flour and eaten, resulted in members of the Lewis and Clark expedition becoming seriously ill. Death camas was confused with large camas and small camas (camassia bulbs), important food used by native Americans. Death camas bulbs contain zygadenine, a toxic steroidal alkaloid, and were one of the few native bulbs not eaten by Indians.

(Figueroa Mountain – Fremont’s Death Camas – Click image for larger version)

There are two species of Death camas that grow on Figueroa Mountain; Zigadenus fremontii and Zigadenus venenosus (which blooms May-Jul). In the Jepson species key, each type falls into a different group of Zigadenus, divided by the first key:

• 1. Perianth parts 3–6 mm, stamens >= perianth
• 1′ Perianth parts 5–15 mm, stamens < perianth

where perianth, or the floral envelope ( peri- + -anth, “around the flower”), includes the petals and sepals.

(Figueroa Mountain – Fremont’s  Death Camas – Click image for larger version)

In the picture above, the stamens appear to be shorter than the perianth, and thus the species appears to key out to Zigadenus fremontii. It was named after Charles Frémont, an officer in the U.S. Army Topographical Corps, who detailed the geology and flora found when exploring California in 1844. Zigadenus fremontii ssp minor has been reported growing in the area where these were photographed, so possibly they are the minor sub-species.

Links

• Jepson Treatment for current scientific name
• Calflora Taxon Report for common names, and other information - Death camas [Hrusa 2001], Fremont’s Star Lily [Hrusa 2001], Fremont’s death camas [Hrusa 2001], Fremont’s deathcamas [PLANTS 2001], Star Lily [Hrusa 2001], Starlily [U.S. Forest Service 1997], Zygadene [Hrusa 2001], chaparral zygadene [Hrusa 2001]