Watsonia meriana (bulbil watsonia)

Watsonia meriana

Photo courtesy Mary Ittner and Bob Rutemolle

Watsonia meriana (bulbil watsonia) is a perennial flowering herb (family Iridaceae) found in disturbed areas, coastal prairies and coniferous forests along the northern coast of California. This corm-forming, ornamental, South African native reproduces by growing bulblets. Bulbil watsonia, which is generally avoided by wildlife as a food source, forms dense patches that may crowd out other plants. Bulbil watsonia infestations tend to spread slowly on their own, but they may establish new populations by human movement of plant material and soil.

Cal-IPC Inventory rating: Limited

Cal-IPC Resources on Watsonia meriana

• California Invasive Plant Inventory Assessment Form (pdf) - Information gathered by Cal-IPC on the impacts, rate of spread, and distribution of invasive plants in California. Does not include management information.
• Cal-IPC News - Articles from our quarterly newsletter. List of articles on Watsonia meriana.
• Cal-IPC Symposium Proceedings - Presentations and papers from our annual Symposium. (None for this species.)

Cal-IPC News Articles

• Madison, J. (1996). Highways as corridors of dispersal. CalEPPC News. 4: 9.

Cal-IPC Symposium Proceedings

• None for this species.

Other Resources on Watsonia meriana

• USDA PLANTS database - Federal database with information on identification and distribution, and links to websites in individual states.
• Jepson Online Interchange for California Flora - Information on taxonomy, biology, and distribution from the UC Berkeley Jepson Herbarium.
• CalFlora - Distribution information by county based on submitted observations and herbarium specimens.

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