Flora of North America species comparison

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Calochortus aureus

Calochortus monanthus

golden mariposa lily

Shasta River mariposa lily, single-flower mariposa-lily
Habit Plants usually bulbose; bulb coat, when present, membranous. Plants bulbose; bulb coat membranous.
Stems

usually not branching or twisted, 1–3 dm.

not branching, straight.
Leaves

basal withering, 1–2 dm;

blade linear.

basal withering;

blade linear-attenuate.
Inflorescences

erect, subumbellate, 1–4-flowered;

bracts unequal at base of inflorescence, 1–6 cm.

1-flowered, long-peduncled;

bracts opposite.
Flowers

erect;

perianth open, campanulate;

sepals with maroon blotch distal to gland, broadly lanceolate, 1–4 cm, apex acuminate;

petals lemon yellow, with maroon blotch distal to gland, broadly obovate, cuneate, 3–3.5 cm, ± glabrous or with a few lemon-yellow hairs near gland;

glands round, depressed, surrounded by conspicuously fringed membranes, densely covered with short, unbranched or distally branching hairs;

filaments ca. equaling anthers;

anthers yellowish cream, oblong, apex obtuse.

erect;

perianth open, turbinate to campanulate;

sepals lanceolate, attenuate, ca. 4 cm;

petals pinkish, with chevron-shaped, dark red blotch distal to gland, obovate, cuneate, rounded, ca. 5 cm, with few flexible hairs near gland, margins irregularly dentate distally;

glands oblong, not depressed, densely covered with slender, unbranched hairs;

filaments lanceolate-linear, shorter than anthers;

anthers short-tipped.
Capsules

erect, light tan to light brown, linear-lanceoloid, 3-angled, ca. 2.5–5 cm, apex acuminate.

erect, linear, angled.
Seeds

light yellow, flat.

unknown.
2n

= 32.

Calochortus aureus

Calochortus monanthus
Phenology Flowering late spring–mid summer. Flowering late spring–mid summer.
Habitat Dry sandy–clayey places Vernal meadows
Elevation 1200–2000 m (3900–6600 ft) 800 m (2600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; NM; UT
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Calochortus monanthus is known only from a single collection from meadow along the Shasta River, near Yreka, Siskiyou County, by E. L. Greene in June, 1876. It is presumed extinct.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 26. FNA vol. 26, p. 133.
Parent taxa Liliaceae > Calochortus Liliaceae > Calochortus
Sibling taxa
C. albus, C. amabilis, C. ambiguus, C. amoenus, C. apiculatus, C. argillosus, C. bruneaunis, C. catalinae, C. clavatus, C. coeruleus, C. concolor, C. coxii, C. dunnii, C. elegans, C. eurycarpus, C. excavatus, C. flexuosus, C. greenei, C. gunnisonii, C. howellii, C. indecorus, C. invenustus, C. kennedyi, C. leichtlinii, C. longebarbatus, C. luteus, C. lyallii, C. macrocarpus, C. minimus, C. monanthus, C. monophyllus, C. nitidus, C. nudus, C. nuttallii, C. obispoensis, C. palmeri, C. panamintensis, C. persistens, C. plummerae, C. pulchellus, C. raichei, C. simulans, C. splendens, C. striatus, C. subalpinus, C. superbus, C. tiburonensis, C. tolmiei, C. umbellatus, C. umpquaensis, C. uniflorus, C. venustus, C. vestae, C. weedii, C. westonii
C. albus, C. amabilis, C. ambiguus, C. amoenus, C. apiculatus, C. argillosus, C. aureus, C. bruneaunis, C. catalinae, C. clavatus, C. coeruleus, C. concolor, C. coxii, C. dunnii, C. elegans, C. eurycarpus, C. excavatus, C. flexuosus, C. greenei, C. gunnisonii, C. howellii, C. indecorus, C. invenustus, C. kennedyi, C. leichtlinii, C. longebarbatus, C. luteus, C. lyallii, C. macrocarpus, C. minimus, C. monophyllus, C. nitidus, C. nudus, C. nuttallii, C. obispoensis, C. palmeri, C. panamintensis, C. persistens, C. plummerae, C. pulchellus, C. raichei, C. simulans, C. splendens, C. striatus, C. subalpinus, C. superbus, C. tiburonensis, C. tolmiei, C. umbellatus, C. umpquaensis, C. uniflorus, C. venustus, C. vestae, C. weedii, C. westonii
Synonyms C. nuttallii var. aureus
Name authority S. Watson: Amer. Naturalist 7: 303. (1873) Ownbey: Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. 27: 465, plate 39, figs. 3, 4. (1940)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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