Saw this hard yellow bud partly underground May 1 in Comox Lake Bluffs park. I'm pretty sure it's the bud of an Orobanche tuberosa groundcone , it looks similar to this Stock Photo - Groundcone poque, (Orobanche tuberosa) also known as (Boschniakia hookeri) parasitic on salal I've attached a map with coordinates and a picture of surrounding, which includes a lot of Salal.
Orobanche tuberosa is a name rarely used. What source did you use? Modern name is Jepson Herbarium: Jepson Flora Project: Jepson eFlora: Kopsiopsis hookeri Yes, I think that's what it is. Maybe I'll go check next week, see how it has developed.
