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

Panamint mariposa-lily, Panamint Mountain mariposa lily

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, 4–6 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.

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

petals white tinged with lilac, with longitudinal median green stripe on abaxial surface, not spotted, narrowly obovate, 2–4 cm, ± glabrous;

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

filaments ca. 6 mm;

anthers bluish, oblong, 5–7 mm, ± glabrous, apex obtuse.

Capsules

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

erect, tan to brown, linear-lanceoloid, angled, ca. 7 cm, apex acuminate.

Seeds

light brown, irregular.

light yellow, flat.

2n

= 20.

= 14.

Calochortus elegans

Calochortus panamintensis

Phenology Flowering early–mid summer.
Habitat Dry rocky slopes in pinyon-juniper woodland
Elevation 2300–3200 m (7500–10500 ft)
Distribution
from USDA
nw United States
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; NV
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 3 (3 in the flora).

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

Calochortus panamintensis is restricted to the Panamint Mountains, Inyo County.

(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, p. 137.
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. 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. 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. panamintensis
Name authority Pursh: Fl. Amer. Sept. 1: 240. (1814) (Ownbey) Reveal: in A. Cronquist et al., Intermount. Fl. 6: 501. (1977)
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