Flora of North America species comparison

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Calochortus elegans

Calochortus splendens

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

splendid mariposa, splendid mariposa lily
Habit Plants rarely bulbose; bulb coat, when present, membranous.
Stems

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

branching, ± straight, 2–6 dm.
Leaves

basal persistent, 1–2 dm;

blade linear, flat, glabrous adaxially.

basal withering, 1–2 dm;

blade linear, attenuate.
Inflorescences

1–7-flowered.

monochasiate, 1–4-flowered;

bracts 2–5 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, narrow at base;

sepals deep lilac, often with purple blotch, lanceolate-ovate to acuminate, 2–3 cm;

petals lavender to deep purple, usually with purple blotch at base, obovate to cuneate, rounded, 3–5 cm, with scattered, white and/or purple hairs proximal to middle, sometimes with yellow hairs distal to gland, margins dentate distally;

glands ± square, not depressed, usually with many branching hairs;

filaments 7–8 mm;

anthers purple or white, 5–7 mm, apex obtuse to abruptly pointed.
Capsules

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

erect, linear, angled, 5–7 cm.
Seeds

light brown, irregular.

light-colored, flat.
2n

= 20.

= 14.

Calochortus elegans

Calochortus splendens
Phenology Flowering late spring–mid summer.
Habitat Dry slopes in heavy or granitic soil in chaparral, valley grassland, pine forest
Elevation less than 2800 m (less than 9200 ft)
Distribution
from USDA
nw United States
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; Mexico (Baja California)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[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, p. 133.
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. panamintensis, C. persistens, C. plummerae, C. pulchellus, C. raichei, C. simulans, 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. davidsonianus, Mariposa splendens
Name authority Pursh: Fl. Amer. Sept. 1: 240. (1814) Douglas ex Bentham: Trans. Hort. Soc. London, ser. 2, 1: 411, plate 15, fig.1. (1835)
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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