The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

club hair mariposa, clubhair mariposa lily, slender mariposa lily

Sierra mariposa, Sierra mariposa lily

Habit Plants usually bulbose; bulb coat, when present, membranous.
Stems

slender or coarse, stout, branching or not, strongly flexuous, 3–10 dm.

not branching, less than 1 dm.

Leaves

basal withering, 1–2 dm;

blade linear.

basal persistent, 1–2 dm;

blade linear, flat;

cauline usually absent.

Inflorescences

subumbellate, 1–6-flowered;

bracts 4–8 cm, bases dilated.

1–10-flowered.

Flowers

erect;

perianth open, cup-shaped;

sepals usually with red-brown blotch at base, lanceolate-ovate, 2–4 cm, apex acute;

petals lemon to golden yellow, with transverse line distal to gland, broadly cuneate to obovate, 3–5 cm;

glands round, deeply depressed, densely covered with short hairs with branching, coralline tips, surrounded by conspicuously fringed membrane and club-shaped hairs;

filaments ca. 10 mm;

anthers purplish brown, oblong, 4–10 mm.

± erect;

perianth open, campanulate;

sepals lanceolate, 8–10 mm, glabrous, apex acuminate;

petals white, obovate, 10–14 mm, not ciliate, adaxial surface glabrous or sometimes with few hairs near gland;

glands bordered proximally by ± ciliate membrane;

filaments equaling anthers;

anthers linear-oblong, apex acute.

Capsules

erect, lanceoloid-linear, angled, 6–9 cm, apex acuminate.

nodding, 3-winged, ellipsoid, 1–2 cm.

Seeds

light yellow, translucent, flat.

irregular.

2n

= 16.

= 20.

Calochortus clavatus

Calochortus minimus

Phenology Flowering late spring–mid summer.
Habitat Moist grassy areas in open woods, along lake margins
Elevation 1200–3000 m (3900–9800 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 5 (5 in the flora).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Derivatives of hybridization between Calochortus minimus and C. nudus (pink- to lavender-tinged petals with rounded tips) occur in the northern high Sierra Nevada (B. D. Ness et al. 1990).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Key
1. Petals shorter than sepals; petal glands very deeply depressed.
var. avius
1. Petals longer than sepals; petal glands shallowly to moderately depressed.
→ 2
2. Stems straight, slender, usually 3 dm or shorter.
→ 2
2. Stems flexuous, coarse, usually 5–10 dm.
→ 3
3. Petals 3–4 cm, sparsely bearded; leaves not recurved.
var. gracilis
3. Petals 4–5 cm, bearded; leaves strongly recurved.
var. recurvifolius
4. Petals deep yellow, hairs very knobby; anthers deep purple.
var. clavatus
4. Petals light yellow, hairs not very knobby; anthers yellow to medium purple.
var. pallidus
Source FNA vol. 26, p. 138. FNA vol. 26, p. 128.
Parent taxa Liliaceae > Calochortus Liliaceae > Calochortus
Sibling taxa
C. albus, C. amabilis, C. ambiguus, C. amoenus, C. apiculatus, C. argillosus, C. aureus, C. bruneaunis, C. catalinae, 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. 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
Subordinate taxa
C. clavatus var. avius, C. clavatus var. clavatus, C. clavatus var. gracilis, C. clavatus var. pallidus, C. clavatus var. recurvifolius
Synonyms Mariposa clavata
Name authority S. Watson: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 14: 265. (1879) Ownbey: Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. 27: 430. (1940)
Web links