Flora of North America species comparison

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Calochortus lyallii

Calochortus elegans
Calochortus lyallii

Lyall's mariposa-lily

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

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

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

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

blade tapering toward both ends.

basal persistent, 1–2 dm;

blade linear, flat, glabrous adaxially.
Inflorescences

subumbellate, 1–9-flowered;

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

peduncle slender, becoming stiffly erect in fruit.

1–7-flowered.
Flowers

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.

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.
Capsules

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

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

irregular.

light brown, irregular.
2n

= 20.

= 20.

Calochortus lyallii

Calochortus elegans
Phenology Flowering late spring–mid summer.
Habitat Dry slopes, open coniferous forests
Elevation 300–1500 m (1000–4900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
WA; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from USDA
nw United States
[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. 130. FNA vol. 26, p. 125.
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. 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
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
Subordinate taxa
C. elegans var. elegans, C. elegans var. nanus, C. elegans var. selwayensis
Name authority Baker: J. Linn. Soc., Bot. 14: 305. (1874) Pursh: Fl. Amer. Sept. 1: 240. (1814)
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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