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Gunnison's mariposa lily

Plummer's mariposa-lily

Habit Plants usually bulbose; bulb coat, when present, membranous. Plants usually bulbose; bulb coat fibrous-reticulate.
Stems

not branching, straight, 2.4–5.5 dm.

slender, usually branching, 3–6 dm.

Leaves

basal withering, 18–35 cm;

blade linear.

basal withering;

blade linear to lanceolate, 2–4 dm.

Inflorescences

subumbellate, 1–3-flowered.

2–6-flowered;

bracts resembling distal cauline leaves.

Flowers

erect;

perianth open, campanulate;

sepals marked similar to petals, lanceolate, usually much shorter, glabrous, apex acute;

petals white to purple, greenish adaxially, clawed, often with narrow, transverse purple band distal to gland and purple blotch on claw, obovate, cuneate, usually obtuse and rounded distally;

glands transversely oblong, not depressed, densely bearded with distally branching hairs, outermost of which somewhat connate at base to form discontinuous, deeply fringed membranes;

filaments shorter than anthers;

anthers lanceolate, apex acute to apiculate.

erect;

perianth open, broadly campanulate;

sepals lanceolate, 3–5 cm, glabrous or with a few hairs at base, apex long-tapering;

petals pale pink to rose, drying purplish, broadly cuneate to obovate, 3–4 cm, glabrous distally or nearly so, rarely fringed, with conspicuous, long, yellow hairs in broad median band, margins dentate;

glands round, slightly depressed, ± glabrous, bordered by ring of dense, obscuring, orange hairs;

filaments 9–11 mm, ± equaling anthers;

anthers lanceolate-linear, apex acute to somewhat short-tipped.

Capsules

erect, linear-oblong, 3-angled, 3–6 cm, apex acute.

erect, linear, angled, 4–8 cm, apex acute.

Seeds

flat, inflated.

light beige.

2n

= 18.

= 18.

Calochortus gunnisonii

Calochortus plummerae

Phenology Flowering late spring–mid summer.
Habitat Dry rocky slopes, often in brush, chaparral, pine forest
Elevation 0–1700 m (0–5600 ft)
Distribution
from USDA
wc North America
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Key
1. Petals white to purple, occasionally yellow; w United States.
var. gunnisonii
1. Petals pale yellow; New Mexico only.
var. perpulcher
Source FNA vol. 26, p. 140. FNA vol. 26, p. 140.
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. 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. 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. 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. gunnisonii var. gunnisonii, C. gunnisonii var. perpulcher
Name authority S. Watson: Botany (Fortieth Parallel), 348. (1871) Greene: Pittonia 2: 70. (1890)
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