Fork-Toothed Ookow is a flowering, herbaceous perennial wildflower in the asparagus family native to the mountainous regions and open grassy hillsides of western North America. It has showy blue-purple flowers, with a solitary bloom sitting atop a long stalk with a few grass-like leaves at the base of the plant. The flowering stem is generally curved or twisted (not straight) and the flowers are typically dense and not open. When this wildflower blooms surrounding grasses are maturing and turning brown, thus the plant signals the beginning of summer. Fork-Toothed Ookow prefers full sun and and is easy to grow in dry, well-drained soil in full sun. However, it is a hardy plant that can tolerate poor soil, shade and drought. The plant will spread in time to form colonies from bulbs or seed. Note that when grown from seed, it can take several months before seedlings appear. Diseases, Insect Pests, and Other Plant Problems: No known diseases or insect pests.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Dappled Sunlight (Shade through upper canopy all day) | Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; High Organic Matter; Sand
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Occasionally Dry
Mature size
Height: 2 ft. 0 in. - 3 ft. 0 in. | Width: 3 ft. 0 in. - 4 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Ascending; Clumping; Erect
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Hairs present
No
Flower color
Blue; Purple/Lavender
Flower value
Good Cut; Showy
Flower form
Raceme
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
Blooms from April to June. Six to fifteen densely-packed small flowers of pale purple to green. Flower stalks can be horizontal or erect.
Bloom time
Spring; Summer
Stem detail
Tall and thin.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Unknown
Origin
British Columbia, Washington state to California
Wildlife value
attracts bees.
Attracts
Bees; Pollinators
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Container; Patio
Landscape theme
Butterfly Garden; Drought Tolerant Garden
Design feature
Border
Garden tags
#non-toxic for cats #non-toxic for horses #non-toxic for dogs #herbaceous perennial #drought tolerant #flowering bulb #dense growth #poor soil tolerant