Calochortus elegans |
Calochortus excavatus |
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cat's ear, elegant cat's ear, elegant mariposa lily, elegant sego lily, elegant star tulip, northwestern mariposa lily |
Inyo County star-tulip |
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Stems | ± slender, usually not branching, often scapelike, 0.5–2 dm. |
slender, not branching, 1–3 dm. |
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Leaves | basal persistent, 1–2 dm; blade linear, flat, glabrous adaxially. |
basal usually persistent, 1–2 dm; blade linear. |
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Inflorescences | 1–7-flowered. |
subumbellate, 1–4-flowered; bracts paired, 3–8 cm. |
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Flowers | 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 lanceolate, 2–3 cm, apex acuminate; petals lavender, with longitudinal median abaxial green stripe, with or without blotches, broadly cuneate to obovate, 3–4 cm, with a few short hairs near gland; glands round, depressed, surrounded by conspicuously fringed membrane, densely covered with short, distally branching hairs; filaments 6–8 mm; anthers red-brown, oblong, 7–10 mm, apex obtuse. |
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Capsules | nodding, winged, ellipsoid-globular, 1–2 cm, apex obtuse or acute. |
erect, brown, lanceoloid-linear, 3-angled, 2–3 cm. |
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Seeds | light brown, irregular. |
light beige, translucent, flat. |
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2n | = 20. |
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Calochortus elegans |
Calochortus excavatus |
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Phenology | Flowering spring. | |||||||||
Habitat | Grassy meadows in shadscale scrub | |||||||||
Elevation | 1200–2000 m (3900–6600 ft) | |||||||||
Distribution |
nw United States
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CA |
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Discussion | Varieties 3 (3 in the flora). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Calochortus excavatus is found only in the eastern Sierra Nevada in Mono and Inyo counties. It is threatened by groundwater depletion. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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Key |
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Source | FNA vol. 26, p. 125. | FNA vol. 26, p. 137. | ||||||||
Parent taxa | Liliaceae > Calochortus | Liliaceae > Calochortus | ||||||||
Sibling taxa | ||||||||||
Subordinate taxa | ||||||||||
Name authority | Pursh: Fl. Amer. Sept. 1: 240. (1814) | Greene: Pittonia 2: 71. (1890) | ||||||||
Web links |