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

big-pod mariposa, big-pod mariposa lily, white mariposa lily, wide-fruit mariposa lily

Calochortus lyallii

Lyall's mariposa-lily

Stems

not branching, straight, 1–5 dm.

not branching or with branch in axil of cauline leaf, straight, 1–5 dm.

Leaves

basal persistent, subtended by inflorescence, 1–3 dm × 5–25 mm;

blade flat, tapering toward both ends, becoming involute.

basal solitary, persistent, 1–3 dm × 2–20 mm, usually not exceeding inflorescence;

blade tapering toward both ends.

Inflorescences

subumbellate, 1–5-flowered;

bracts 2 or more, narrowly lanceolate to linear, long-attenuate, unequal, 1–5 cm.

subumbellate, 1–9-flowered;

bracts 2–several, lanceolate to linear, attenuate, unequal, 1–5 cm;

peduncle slender, becoming stiffly erect in fruit.

Flowers

erect;

perianth open, campanulate;

sepals ovate to lanceolate, usually much shorter than petals, glabrous, apex acute to acuminate;

petals creamy white to lavender, with conspicuous median red-purple adaxial blotch, obovate, invested near gland with few long, flexuous hairs, base cuneate, apex rounded or acute;

glands triangular-lunate, slightly depressed, bordered proximally by comparatively narrow, deeply fringed membrane, distally often by narrower, crenate membranes, enclosed surface densely covered with long yellowish hairs, which, with membrane fringe, are often inconspicuously papillose;

filaments slightly longer than anthers;

anthers oblong, apex obtuse.

erect or spreading;

perianth open, campanulate;

sepals white or purplish-tinged, usually with purple crescent, lanceolate, usually equaling petals, often adaxially papillose, apex acuminate to attenuate;

petals white or purplish-tinged, usually with median, red-purple, adaxial crescent distal to gland, ovate to lanceolate, abruptly contracted at base into short, conspicuous claw, usually conspicuously fringed with long, slender hairs, adaxial surface ± papillose, bearing a few long hairs distal to claw, apex acute to acuminate;

glands transversely oblong, depressed, arched upward, bordered proximally by narrower, crenate membrane, with short, thick hairs toward distal margin of enclosed surface, both fringe of lower membrane and hairs densely long-papillose;

filaments basally dilated, ± equaling anthers;

anthers oblong-lanceolate, apex acute to short-apiculate.

Capsules

erect, 3-winged, ellipsoid-oblong.

erect, 3-winged, ellipsoid, base and apex acute.

Seeds

light beige.

irregular.

2n

= 20.

= 20.

Calochortus eurycarpus

Calochortus lyallii

Phenology Flowering summer. Flowering late spring–mid summer.
Habitat Grasslands and open coniferous forests Dry slopes, open coniferous forests
Elevation 700–2700 m (2300–8900 ft) 300–1500 m (1000–4900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
ID; MT; NV; OR; WA; WY
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
WA; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Source FNA vol. 26. FNA vol. 26, p. 130.
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. elegans, 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. 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
Synonyms C. nitidus var. eurycarpus
Name authority S. Watson: Botany (Fortieth Parallel), 348. (1871) Baker: J. Linn. Soc., Bot. 14: 305. (1874)
Web links