A specimen from Kew's Herbarium | Herbarium, RBG Kew
Common name: western false asphodel
A species of western North America, occurring from Alaska to California. It is typically found in wet mountain meadows, peatlands, and other wetland habitats, from low elevations to around 3,300 m above sea level.
A specimen from Kew's Herbarium | Herbarium, RBG Kew
Fig. 1. Known distribution range of Triantha occidentalis.
In 2021, a team of researchers from the University of British Columbia discovered that Triantha occidentalis is a carnivorous plant. The upper part of its flowering stem is covered with sticky, reddish glandular hairs that attract and trap small insects such as flies and beetles.
Isotope studies showed that the plant obtains nutrients from its prey, with up to 7.2% of the nitrogen in the flowering stem derived from captured insects. This discovery made Triantha occidentalis the first known carnivorous species in the family Tofieldiaceae.