Flora of North America species comparison

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Calochortus tolmiei

Calochortus venustus
Calochortus tolmiei

hairy star tulip, pussy ears, Tolmie star-tulip, Tolmie's cat's ear, Tolmie's mariposa-lily

butterfly mariposa lily, square mariposa tulip
Habit Plants bulbose; bulb coat membranous.
Stems

± slender, usually branching, 1–4 dm.

usually branching, 1–6 dm.
Leaves

basal persistent, 1–4 dm;

blade lanceolate, tapering at base, flat;

cauline bractlike.

basal withering, 1–2 dm;

blade linear.
Inflorescences

± umbellate, 1–several-flowered.

subumbellate, 1–6(–10)-flowered;

bracts 2–8 cm.
Flowers

erect or spreading;

perianth open, campanulate;

sepals 10–15 mm;

petals white to pinkish or purplish, obovate, 12–25 mm, adaxial surface densely hairy, margins ciliate;

glands bordered proximally by ciliate membrane, distally by short hairs;

anthers lanceolate, apex acute to apiculate.

erect;

perianth open, campanulate;

sepals lanceolate, 3–5 cm, apex recurved;

petals white to brightly or deeply yellow, purple, or dark red, with dark red median blotch, often with second paler distal blotch, obovate or cuneate to clawed, rounded, 3–5 cm, with scattered proximal hairs, apex retuse to obtuse;

glands in lower middle of petal, ± square, sometimes ovate, not depressed, covered with short, orange to red-purple hairs;

filaments usually equaling anthers;

anthers linear-lanceolate to oblong.
Capsules

nodding, winged, oblong, 2–3 cm.

erect, linear, angled, 5–6 cm.
Seeds

deep purple, dark brown in age, irregular.

light beige, ± flat, 4–6 mm.
2n

= 20.

= 14.

Calochortus tolmiei

Calochortus venustus
Phenology Flowering mid spring–mid summer. Flowering mid spring–mid summer.
Habitat Open grassy slopes or in woods, often on poor, dry soil Light sandy soil, often in decomposed granite in valley grassland, foothill woodland, and pine forest
Elevation 0–2000 m (0–6600 ft) 300–2700 m (1000–8900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; OR; WA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Flower color and pattern are very showy and exceedingly variable in Calochortus venustus.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 26, p. 124. FNA vol. 26, p. 134.
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. 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. 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. splendens, C. striatus, C. subalpinus, C. superbus, C. tiburonensis, C. tolmiei, C. umbellatus, C. umpquaensis, C. uniflorus, C. vestae, C. weedii, C. westonii
Synonyms Mariposa venusta
Name authority Hooker & Arnott: Bot. Beechey Voy., 398. (1840) Douglas ex Bentham: Trans. Hort. Soc. London, ser. 2, 1: 412, plate 15, fig. 3. (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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