Flora of North America species comparison

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Calochortus gunnisonii

Calochortus coxii

Gunnison's mariposa lily

Cox's cat's ear, Cox's mariposa-lily
Habit Plants usually bulbose; bulb coat, when present, membranous.
Stems

not branching, straight, 2.4–5.5 dm.

usually not branching, straight to flexuous, often scapelike, 15–25 cm.
Leaves

basal withering, 18–35 cm;

blade linear.

basal ± erect, to 3 dm × 3–7 mm;

blade with adaxial surface densely hairy, abaxial surface glabrous, shiny.
Inflorescences

subumbellate, 1–3-flowered.

erect, 1–7-flowered;

bracts 1–several, 2.5–3 cm.
Flowers

erect;

perianth open, campanulate;

sepals marked similar to petals, lanceolate, usually much shorter, glabrous, apex acute;

petals white to purple, greenish adaxially, clawed, often with narrow, transverse purple band distal to gland and purple blotch on claw, obovate, cuneate, usually obtuse and rounded distally;

glands transversely oblong, not depressed, densely bearded with distally branching hairs, outermost of which somewhat connate at base to form discontinuous, deeply fringed membranes;

filaments shorter than anthers;

anthers lanceolate, apex acute to apiculate.

erect;

perianth open, campanulate;

sepals ovate-acuminate, 20 × 8 mm;

petals white, with reddish striations from base to gland and broad lavender chevron just distal to gland margins, broadly obovate, 2.5 cm, adaxial surface densely hairy, margins slightly ciliate;

glands transversely oblong-lunate, deeply depressed, green at adaxial base, 1/2 to nearly equaling petal claw width, surrounded by yellow hairs that grade to white at petal apex, covered with membranous scales, scales covered with very small, translucent, rodlike hairs;

filaments 7 mm;

anthers reddish brown, 3–7 mm, apex apiculate.
Capsules

erect, linear-oblong, 3-angled, 3–6 cm, apex acute.

nodding, 3-winged, ellipsoid-elongate, 3–4 cm.
Seeds

flat, inflated.

light beige, surface rough.
2n

= 18.

Calochortus gunnisonii

Calochortus coxii
Phenology Flowering mid summer.
Habitat North-facing open grassy slopes or woods, on serpentine
Elevation 200–1000 m (700–3300 ft)
Distribution
from USDA
wc North America
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
OR
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

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

Of conservation concern.

Calochortus coxii is endemic to Douglas County from near the Umpqua River to Myrtle Creek Mountain.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Key
1. Petals white to purple, occasionally yellow; w United States.
var. gunnisonii
1. Petals pale yellow; New Mexico only.
var. perpulcher
Source FNA vol. 26, p. 140. FNA vol. 26, p. 126.
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. eurycarpus, C. excavatus, C. flexuosus, C. greenei, 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. 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. gunnisonii var. gunnisonii, C. gunnisonii var. perpulcher
Name authority S. Watson: Botany (Fortieth Parallel), 348. (1871) M. R. Godfrey & Callahan: Phytologia 65: 216, fig.1g–k. (1988)
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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