Burke: Calochortus lyallii vs. Calochortus nitidus

	Calochortus lyallii	Calochortus nitidus
	Lyall's mariposa-lily	broad-fruited mariposa lily
Habit	Perennial herb from a deep-seated bulb, the stem erect, 1-5 dm. tall.	Perennial herb from a deep-seated bulb, the stem erect, 2-4 dm. tall.
Leaves	Basal leaf flat, 1-2 dm. long and 2-20 mm. broad, not exceeding the inflorescence; a single bract-like cauline leaf about mid-stem.	Basal leaf flat, 1-3 dm. long and 10-25 mm. broad, becoming involute, not exceeding the inflorescence; single reduced cauline leaf about mid-stem.
Flowers	Umbel 1-4 flowered; flowers white or purplish tinged, with a purple crescent on each petal above the gland and a similar spot on each sepal; pedicels slender, erect or spreading; sepals 3, about equal to the petals, lanceolate, glabrous; petals 3, ovate to lanceolate, pointed, abruptly contracted at the base to a short claw, conspicuously fringed with long, slender hairs; gland transverse, arched upward, bordered above with a fringed membrane and below with a narrower membrane, the enclosed surface covered with thick processes; stamens 6, style short, stigma trifid, persistent.	Umbel 1-4 flowered; flowers large, erect, purplish, with a deep purple crescent on each petal above the gland; sepals 3, shorter than the petals, ovate to lanceolate, pointed, glabrous; petals 3, obovate or oblanceolate, wedge-shaped at the base, gland lunate, covered with short, thick processes and banded below with a fringed membrane; stamens 6, style short, stigma trifid, persistent.
Fruits	Capsule elliptic, 3-winged, erect.	Capsule broadly elliptic, erect, 3-winged.

	Calochortus lyallii	Calochortus nitidus
Flowering time	May-July	June-July
Habitat	Dry, open coniferous forests at moderate to mid-elevations in the mountains.	Meadows at low elevation.
Distribution	Occurring east of the Cascades crest in central Washington; British Columbia south along the east slope of the Cascades to south-central Washington. [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]	Occurring in Whitman County in Washington; Washington to adjacent areas of Idaho and northeast Oregon. [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]
Origin	Native	Native
Conservation status	Not of concern	Endangered in Washington (WANHP)
Sibling taxa	C. apiculatus, C. elegans, C. eurycarpus, C. longebarbatus, C. macrocarpus, C. nitidus, C. subalpinus	C. apiculatus, C. elegans, C. eurycarpus, C. longebarbatus, C. lyallii, C. macrocarpus, C. subalpinus
Web links	Local floras: BC, WA Local Web sites: Flora NW, PNW Herbaria, Turner Photog. WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search	Local floras: OR, WA Local Web sites: Flora NW, PNW Herbaria WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search

Calochortus lyallii

Calochortus nitidus

Lyall's mariposa-lily

broad-fruited mariposa lily

Habit

Perennial herb from a deep-seated bulb, the stem erect, 1-5 dm. tall.

Perennial herb from a deep-seated bulb, the stem erect, 2-4 dm. tall.

Leaves

Basal leaf flat, 1-2 dm. long and 2-20 mm. broad, not exceeding the inflorescence; a single bract-like cauline leaf about mid-stem.

Basal leaf flat, 1-3 dm. long and 10-25 mm. broad, becoming involute, not exceeding the inflorescence; single reduced cauline leaf about mid-stem.

Flowers

Umbel 1-4 flowered;

flowers white or purplish tinged, with a purple crescent on each petal above the gland and a similar spot on each sepal;

pedicels slender, erect or spreading;

sepals 3, about equal to the petals, lanceolate, glabrous;

petals 3, ovate to lanceolate, pointed, abruptly contracted at the base to a short claw, conspicuously fringed with long, slender hairs;

gland transverse, arched upward, bordered above with a fringed membrane and below with a narrower membrane, the enclosed surface covered with thick processes;

stamens 6, style short, stigma trifid, persistent.

Umbel 1-4 flowered;

flowers large, erect, purplish, with a deep purple crescent on each petal above the gland;

sepals 3, shorter than the petals, ovate to lanceolate, pointed, glabrous;

petals 3, obovate or oblanceolate, wedge-shaped at the base, gland lunate, covered with short, thick processes and banded below with a fringed membrane;

stamens 6, style short, stigma trifid, persistent.

Fruits

Capsule elliptic, 3-winged, erect.

Capsule broadly elliptic, erect, 3-winged.