Flora of North America species comparison

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Calochortus venustus

Calochortus obispoensis

butterfly mariposa lily, square mariposa tulip

San Luis mariposa-lily
Habit Plants bulbose; bulb coat membranous. Plants usually bulbose; bulb coat fibrous-reticulate.
Stems

usually branching, 1–6 dm.

slender, branching, straight, 3–6 dm.
Leaves

basal withering, 1–2 dm;

blade linear.

basal withering, 2–3 dm;

blade linear-lanceolate.
Inflorescences

subumbellate, 1–6(–10)-flowered;

bracts 2–8 cm.

2–6-flowered.
Flowers

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.

erect;

perianth opening flat, campanulate;

sepals often reflexed, lanceolate, 1–3 cm, glabrous, apex long-tapered;

petals yellow to deep orange, purple-brown at tip, oblong-ovate, 1–2 cm, conspicuously bearded, margins fringed or dentate, apex fringed with hairy tufts;

glands round, slightly depressed, glabrous, surrounded and obscured by ring of slender, dense hairs united at base;

filaments 7–8 mm;

anthers oblong, apex acute.
Capsules

erect, linear, angled, 5–6 cm.

erect, linear, 3-angled, 3–4 cm, apex acute.
Seeds

light beige, ± flat, 4–6 mm.

light yellow, translucent.
2n

= 14.

= 18.

Calochortus venustus

Calochortus obispoensis
Phenology Flowering mid spring–mid summer. Flowering late spring–mid summer.
Habitat Light sandy soil, often in decomposed granite in valley grassland, foothill woodland, and pine forest Dry stony hills, canyons, edge of chaparral, serpentine
Elevation 300–2700 m (1000–8900 ft) 100–500 m (300–1600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA
[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.)

Of conservation concern.

Calochortus obispoensis is restricted to San Luis Obispo County.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 26, p. 134. FNA vol. 26, p. 141.
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. tolmiei, C. umbellatus, C. umpquaensis, C. uniflorus, 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. 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 Mariposa venusta
Name authority Douglas ex Bentham: Trans. Hort. Soc. London, ser. 2, 1: 412, plate 15, fig. 3. (1835) Lemmon: Bot. Gaz. 11: 180. (1886)
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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