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cat's ear, elegant cat's ear, elegant mariposa lily, elegant sego lily, elegant star tulip, northwestern mariposa lily

Calochortus bruneaunis

Bruneau mariposa lily, pinyon mariposa

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

± slender, usually not branching, often scapelike, 0.5–2 dm.

usually not branching or twisted, 1–4 dm.

Leaves

basal persistent, 1–2 dm;

blade linear, flat, glabrous adaxially.

basal withering, 1–2 dm;

blade linear.

Inflorescences

1–7-flowered.

1–4-flowered;

bracts 2–4 cm.

Flower(s)

erect to spreading;

perianth open, campanulate;

sepals oblong-lanceolate, 12–16 mm, usually glabrous, adaxial surface minutely papillose;

petals light green to white, usually with purple crescent distal to gland, ± oblanceolate or broader, 10–15 mm, adaxial surface hairy only distal to gland, margins conspicuously ciliate;

glands lunate, usually slightly depressed, bordered proximally by ± ciliate membrane, distally by short hairs;

anthers lanceolate, apex apiculate.

erect;

perianth open, campanulate;

sepals with dark red or purple blotch near base, lanceolate, 1–4 cm, usually glabrous, apex acuminate;

petals white tinged with lilac, with longitudinal median green stripe on abaxial surface and dark red or purple crescent distal to gland, narrowly obovate, 2–4 cm, ± glabrous;

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

filaments 5–6 mm;

anthers yellow, blue, or maroon, oblong, 5–7 mm, apex obtuse.

Capsules

nodding, winged, ellipsoid-globular, 1–2 cm, apex obtuse or acute.

erect, linear-lanceoloid, angled, 3–7 cm, apex acuminate.

Seeds

light brown, irregular.

yellow, flat.

2n

= 20.

= 14.

Calochortus elegans

Calochortus bruneaunis

Phenology Flowering late spring–summer.
Habitat Dry brushy, grassy slopes, flats, pinyon-juniper woodlands
Elevation 900–3000 m (3000–9800 ft)
Distribution
from USDA
nw United States
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[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; ID; MT; NV; OR; UT
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[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 3 (3 in the flora).

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

Key
1. Petal gland membranes erose to crenate.
var. nanus
1. Petal gland membranes deeply fringed.
→ 2
2. Petal glands broadly transverse-oblong, extending nearly across lower portion of petal, depressed, strongly arched distally; petals densely bearded.
var. elegans
2. Petal glands shortly transverse-oblong, not depressed, straight or only slightly arched; petals only moderately bearded.
var. selwayensis
Source FNA vol. 26, p. 125. FNA vol. 26.
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. clavatus, C. coeruleus, C. concolor, C. coxii, C. dunnii, 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. 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
Subordinate taxa
C. elegans var. elegans, C. elegans var. nanus, C. elegans var. selwayensis
Synonyms C. nuttallii var. bruneaunis
Name authority Pursh: Fl. Amer. Sept. 1: 240. (1814) A. Nelson & J. F. Macbride: Bot. Gaz. 55: 372. (1913)
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