Bloomipedia
Blue dicks (Dipterostemon capitatus)
Photo: Andrew Meeds via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized

Flower profile

Blue dicks

Dipterostemon capitatus

Blue dicks is a flowering plant. It's on our flower lists for 2 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in February–May.

–states
2of our state lists
44,596U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Arizona, California

Quick look

Dipterostemon is a monotypic genus of flowering plants in the family Asparagaceae. Its only species is Dipterostemon capitatus, synonym Dichelostemma capitatum, known by the common names blue dicks, wild hyacinth, purplehead and brodiaea, native to the Western United States and northwest Mexico.

  • It belongs to the Asparagaceae family. iNaturalist
  • In California, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in February–May. iNaturalist
  • In Arizona, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in February–April. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 39,216 research-grade sightings of it in California, ranking #4 among the 110 flowers on our California list. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 4,476 research-grade sightings of it in Arizona, ranking #20 among the 109 flowers on our Arizona list. iNaturalist

Blue dicks gift ideas

Handmade blue dicks gifts from independent makers.

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (15,216 records)
Bloom time in each of our 2 states
StateTypePeak bloomSightings*
California–February–May39,216
Arizona–February–April4,476

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA)
Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. USFWS ECOS
NatureServe
Unknown We couldn't find this name in NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe
California
Not listed Not on California state-listed endangered, threatened and rare plants (14 CCR § 670.2), per CDFW's CNDDB list (July 2026). CNDDB listed plants (July 2026)
Arizona
Not listed Not on Arizona Native Plant Law protected plants (Ariz. Admin. Code R3-3 Art. 11, App. A, eff. Feb. 2, 2025). AAC R3-3 App. A

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleNot well documented

None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant)) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list.

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS has no state-by-state distribution for this name, so we can't map it yet.

More California flowers

Sources