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desert mariposa, desert mariposa lily

Shasta River mariposa lily, single-flower mariposa-lily

Habit Plants usually bulbose; bulb coat, when present, membranous. Plants bulbose; bulb coat membranous.
Stems

usually not branching but sometimes twisted, 1–2(–5) dm.

not branching, straight.

Leaves

blade linear-attenuate;

basal withering, 1–2 dm;

blade channeled, glaucous.

basal withering;

blade linear-attenuate.

Inflorescences

subumbellate, 1–6-flowered;

bracts 2–4 cm, bases dilated.

1-flowered, long-peduncled;

bracts opposite.

Flowers

erect;

perianth open, campanulate, each member often with brown-purple blotch near base;

sepals ovate, 2–3 cm, apex acute;

petals orange to red or ± yellow, cuneate to obovate, 3–5 cm, with a few slightly enlarged hairs near gland;

glands round, depressed, surrounded by conspicuously fringed membrane, densely covered with unbranched or cleft hairs;

filaments 4–5 mm;

anthers purplish, lanceolate, 5–8 mm.

erect;

perianth open, turbinate to campanulate;

sepals lanceolate, attenuate, ca. 4 cm;

petals pinkish, with chevron-shaped, dark red blotch distal to gland, obovate, cuneate, rounded, ca. 5 cm, with few flexible hairs near gland, margins irregularly dentate distally;

glands oblong, not depressed, densely covered with slender, unbranched hairs;

filaments lanceolate-linear, shorter than anthers;

anthers short-tipped.

Capsules

erect, longitudinally striped, lanceoloid-linear, angled, 4–6 cm, apex acuminate.

erect, linear, angled.

Seeds

flat.

unknown.

2n

=16.

Calochortus kennedyi

Calochortus monanthus

Phenology Flowering late spring–mid summer.
Habitat Vernal meadows
Elevation 800 m (2600 ft)
Distribution
from USDA
sw United States; nw Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

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

Calochortus monanthus is known only from a single collection from meadow along the Shasta River, near Yreka, Siskiyou County, by E. L. Greene in June, 1876. It is presumed extinct.

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

Key
1. Petals orange to red.
var. kennedyi
1. Petals ± yellow.
var. munzii
Source FNA vol. 26, p. 138. 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. elegans, C. eurycarpus, C. excavatus, C. flexuosus, C. greenei, C. gunnisonii, C. howellii, C. indecorus, C. invenustus, 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. 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. kennedyi var. kennedyi, C. kennedyi var. munzii
Name authority Porter: Bot. Gaz. 2: 79. (1877) Ownbey: Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. 27: 465, plate 39, figs. 3, 4. (1940)
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