Mariposa Lilies of the World

Calochortus amabilis is a species of flowering plant in the lily family which is known by the common name Diogenes' lantern. It is endemic to northern California, where it grows in the mountains north of the San Francisco Bay Area. In oak woodlands common understory plant associates are Calochortus luteus, Clarkia unguiculata and Delphinium variegatum. It is a common member of the scrub and woodland flora there. This is a perennial herb producing an upright, somewhat... less ↑

Calochortus argillosus is a species of flowering plant in the lily family which is known by the common name clay mariposa lily. It is endemic to coastal central California, where it grows in hard clay soils in the local mountains. This is a perennial herb producing an unbranching stem to heights between 40 and 60 centimeters. The leaf at the base of the stem is narrow in shape, reaching up to 30 centimeters long withering away... less ↑

Calochortus bruneaunis is a species of flowering plant in the lily family which is known by the common name Bruneau mariposa lily. It is native to the western United States from California to Montana, where it generally grows in dry, brushy areas. This is a perennial herb producing a mostly unbranching stem up to 40 centimeters tall. The leaf at the base of the stem is narrow in shape, reaching 10 to 20 centimeters long and... less ↑

Calochortus catalinae is a species of mariposa lily known by the common name Santa Catalina mariposa lily. It is endemic to Southern California where it is found along the coastline, and especially on the Channel Islands. This plant produces long basal leaves and tall, branching stems up to 60 centimeters high. The purple-tinted sepals are up to 3 centimeters long and the longer petals are usually white or very pale pink with a blotch of purple... less ↑

Calochortus concolor, also known by the common name goldenbowl Mariposa lily, is a species of flowering plant in the lily family. It is native to the mountains of southern California and northern Baja California, where it grows in the chaparral and forests of the slopes. It is a perennial herb growing an erect stem 30 to 60 centimeters tall. The waxy basal leaf is 10 to 20 centimeters long and withers at flowering. The inflorescence bears... less ↑

Calochortus dunnii is a rare species of flowering plant in the lily family known by the common name Dunn's Mariposa lily. It is native to Baja California and San Diego County in California, where it is known from only a few occurrences in the chaparral and forests of the local mountain ranges. It is a perennial herb growing a slender, branching stem up to 60 centimeters tall. The waxy, channeled basal leaf is 10 to 20... less ↑

Calochortus excavatus is a species of flowering plant in the lily family known by the common name Inyo County star-tulip. It is endemic to California, where it is known from several reduced and threatened populations in Mono and Inyo Counties. It occupies grassy habitat in alkaline scrub alongside Atriplex and other playa flora. The main threat to its existence is loss of local groundwater. This is a perennial herb growing a slender, unbranched stem to about... less ↑

Calochortus fimbriatus (syn. C. weedii var. vestus) is a species of flowering plant in the lily family known by the common name Late-blooming mariposa lily. It is native to the coastal mountain ranges of southern Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and northern Ventura counties, where it is a member of the chaparral flora. It is a perennial herb growing from a bulb producing a slender, branching stem 30 to 110 centimeters tall. There is a... less ↑

Calochortus flexuosus is a species of lily known by the common names winding Mariposa lily and straggling Mariposa lily. This is a wildflower native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico where it is most often found in desert scrub, growing up through low shrubs. This lily is mainly one long naked stem with only one or two small leaves toward the base. The stem may branch and is usually winding and bent or curving.... less ↑

Calochortus greenei is a species of flowering plant in the lily family known by the common name Greene's mariposa lily. It is native to northern California and southern Oregon, where it grows in the forest and woodlands of the mountains. It is a perennial herb which produces a branching stem up to about 30 centimeters in maximum height. There is a basal leaf about 20 centimeters long which does not wither at flowering. The inflorescence bears... less ↑

Calochortus invenustus is a species of flowering plant in the lily family known by the common name plain mariposa lily. It is native to the mountain ranges of California, where it grows in the coniferous forests. Its range may extend just into Nevada. It is a perennial herb which produces a slender, mostly unbranched stem up to 50 centimeters tall. There is a basal leaf 10 to 20 centimeters long which withers at flowering. The inflorescence... less ↑

Calochortus monanthus is a species of flowering plant in the lily family known by the common names single-flowered mariposa lily and Shasta River mariposa lily. It is presumed extinct, having been collected and documented once over a century ago and never found again. The single known specimen was collected by botanist Edward Lee Greene from a meadow on the banks of the Shasta River near Yreka, California, in June of 1876. The plant had an unbranching... less ↑

Calochortus monophyllus is a species of flowering plant in the lily family known by the common name yellow star-tulip. It is native to the foothills of the Sierra Nevada and southernmost Cascades in California, its range probably extending north just into Oregon. It is a perennial herb producing a slender, sometimes branched stem up to about 20 centimeters tall. The basal leaf is 10 to 30 centimeters in length and does not wither at flowering. There... less ↑

Calochortus panamintensis is a species of flowering plant in the lily family known by the common name Panamint mariposa lily. It is endemic to Inyo County, California, where it is known only from the Panamint Range near Death Valley. Its range may technically extend just into Nevada. It is a perennial herb producing an unbranching stem 40 to 60 centimeters tall. The basal leaf is 10 to 20 centimeters long and withers by flowering, and there... less ↑

Calochortus persistens is a rare species of flowering plant in the lily family known by the common name Siskiyou mariposa lily. It is native to northern California and southern Oregon, where it is known from a few populations on two peaks of the Klamath Mountains straddling the state border. The plant grows at about nine sites scattered on the Gunsight-Humbug Ridge in Siskiyou County, California, and in one population of just a few individuals on Bald... less ↑

Calochortus pulchellus is a rare species of flowering plant in the lily family known by the common name Mt. Diablo fairy-lantern. It is endemic to California, where it is mainly restricted to Mount Diablo in Contra Costa County. There are historical occurrences in surrounding counties. It grows in chaparral and woodland of the bayside slopes. This is a perennial herb growing a branching stem up to about 30 centimeters tall. The basal leaf is up to... less ↑

Calochortus raichei is a rare species of flowering plant in the lily family known by the common name Cedars fairy-lantern, or Cedars mariposa lily. It is endemic to Sonoma County, California, where it is known only from The Cedars, an unincorporated area outside Guerneville near Cazadero. It was named for botanist Roger Raiche, who first identified it as a distinct species in 1987. It is limited to the serpentine soil on the banks of the Big... less ↑

Calochortus simulans is a species of flowering plant in the lily family known by the common name San Luis Obispo mariposa lily, not to be confused with the San Luis mariposa lily C. obispoensis. It is native to San Luis Obispo County, California, and its range extends south into Santa Barbara County. It is a perennial herb producing a branching stem up to 60 centimeters tall. The basal leaf is 10 to 20 centimeters long and... less ↑

Calochortus superbus is a species of flowering plant in the lily family known by the common name superb mariposa lily. It is endemic to California, where it is a common member of the flora in several types of habitat statewide. It is a perennial herb growing up to 40 to 60 centimeters tall with a basal leaf up to 30 centimeters long which withers by flowering. The inflorescence is a loose cluster of 1 to 3... less ↑

Calochortus syntrophus is a rare species of flowering plant in the lily family known by the common names Callahan's Mariposa lily and clustered Mariposa lily. It is endemic to northern California, where it occurs in a remote area north of Montgomery Creek in Shasta County. It has also been spotted in adjacent Tehama County. Its habitat includes open, rocky areas with moist or wet soils in oak woodland territory. It was first discovered in 1993 and... less ↑

Calochortus umpquaensis is a species of flowering plant in the lily family known by the common name Umpqua mariposa lily. It is endemic to Oregon in the United States, where it is mainly limited to the region of the Klamath Mountains on the Little River in Douglas County, in particular the Watson and Ace Williams Mountains. The flower has also been found at a single location in each of Josephine and Jackson Counties. less ↑

Calochortus uniflorus is a species of flowering plant in the lily family known by the common names Monterey mariposa lily and large-flowered star-tulip. It is native to California and Oregon, where it grows in moist areas, such as meadows, in coastal hills and lower-elevation mountains. It is a perennial herb producing a short, unbranching stem generally less than 5 centimeters tall. The basal leaf is up to 40 centimeters long and does not wither by flowering;... less ↑