Flora of North America species comparison

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Calochortus luteus

Calochortus macrocarpus

yellow mariposa, yellow mariposa lily
Calochortus macrocarpus

green-banded star-tulip, sagebrush mariposa-lily
Habit Plants usually bulbose; bulb coat membranous.
Stems

slender, 2–5 dm.

usually not branching, stout, 2–5 dm.
Leaves

basal withering, 1–2 dm;

blade linear.

basal withering, 0.5–1 dm;

blade linear.
Inflorescences

subumbellate, 1–4-flowered;

bracts 1–8 cm.

subumbellate, 1–3-flowered;

bracts 3–5 cm.
Flowers

erect;

perianth open, campanulate;

sepals lanceolate-oblong, attenuate, 2–3 cm;

petals deep yellow, usually streaked red-brown proximally, often with median red-brown blotch, cuneate to obovate, 2–4 cm, with a few slender hairs near gland;

glands ± lunate to oblong, not depressed, covered with short, matted hairs;

filaments 7–9 mm;

anthers linear-oblong, 4–6 mm, apex obtuse or acute.

erect;

perianth open, campanulate;

sepals lanceolate, 4–5 cm, apex acuminate;

petals purple, with median green stripe on abaxial surface, obovate, 4–6 cm, bearded distal to gland, apex acuminate;

glands triangular-sagittate, slightly depressed, densely covered with slender hairs;

filaments 8–9 mm;

anthers lanceolate-linear, ca. 1 cm, apex obtuse.
Capsules

erect, lanceoloid-linear, angled, 3–6 cm.

erect, lanceoloid-linear, angled, 4–5 cm, apex acuminate.
Seeds

light beige, flat.

flat, inflated.
2n

= 14, 28.

= 14.

Calochortus luteus

Calochortus macrocarpus
Phenology Flowering late spring–mid summer.
Habitat Heavy soils in grasslands, open woodlands, mixed evergreen forests
Elevation 0–700 m (0–2300 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from USDA
w North America
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Coastal plants of Calochortus luteus are mostly triploid, while those of the interior are mostly diploid. Occasionally this species hybridizes with C. superbus.

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

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Key
1. Petals purple, with or without dark purple band distal to gland.
var. macrocarpus
1. Petals white, with reddish purple crescent distal to gland.
var. maculosus
Source FNA vol. 26, p. 135. FNA vol. 26, p. 136.
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. 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. 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
Subordinate taxa
C. macrocarpus var. macrocarpus, C. macrocarpus var. maculosus
Synonyms Mariposa lutea Mariposa macrocarpa
Name authority Douglas ex Lindley: Edwards’s Bot. Reg. 19: plate 1567. (1833) Douglas: Trans. Hort. Soc. London 7: 276, plate 8. (1828)
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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