Flora of North America species comparison

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Calochortus excavatus

Calochortus amoenus

Inyo County star-tulip

purple fairy-lantern
Stems

slender, not branching, 1–3 dm.

branching, 2–5 dm.
Leaves

basal usually persistent, 1–2 dm;

blade linear.

basal persistent, 2–5 dm;

blade linear, flat.
Inflorescences

subumbellate, 1–4-flowered;

bracts paired, 3–8 cm.

2–many-flowered.
Flowers

erect;

perianth open, campanulate;

sepals lanceolate, 2–3 cm, apex acuminate;

petals lavender, with longitudinal median abaxial green stripe, with or without blotches, broadly cuneate to obovate, 3–4 cm, with a few short hairs near gland;

glands round, depressed, surrounded by conspicuously fringed membrane, densely covered with short, distally branching hairs;

filaments 6–8 mm;

anthers red-brown, oblong, 7–10 mm, apex obtuse.

nodding;

perianth closed at apex, globular;

sepals spreading, lanceolate, 10–15 mm, glabrous, apex acute;

petals rose, elliptic-obovate, 16–25 mm, margins sparsely ciliate and hairy;

glands ± depressed, with 4–5 ciliate membranes, proximal membrane ± equaling petal width;

filaments equaling anthers;

anthers oblong, apex obtuse.
Capsules

erect, brown, lanceoloid-linear, 3-angled, 2–3 cm.

nodding, narrowly winged, oblong, 2–3 cm, apex obtuse or acute.
Seeds

light beige, translucent, flat.

dark brown, irregular.
2n

= 20.

Calochortus excavatus

Calochortus amoenus
Phenology Flowering spring. Flowering mid spring–mid summer.
Habitat Grassy meadows in shadscale scrub Grassy slopes in partial shade
Elevation 1200–2000 m (3900–6600 ft) 500–1500 m (1600–4900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Calochortus excavatus is found only in the eastern Sierra Nevada in Mono and Inyo counties. It is threatened by groundwater depletion.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 26, p. 137. FNA vol. 26, p. 122.
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. 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
C. albus, C. amabilis, C. ambiguus, 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. venustus, C. vestae, C. weedii, C. westonii
Name authority Greene: Pittonia 2: 71. (1890) Greene: Pittonia 2: 71. (1890)
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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