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yellow mariposa, yellow mariposa lily

sego-lily

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

slender, 2–5 dm.

usually not branching or twisted, straight, 1.5–4.5 dm.

Leaves

basal withering, 1–2 dm;

blade linear.

blade linear, becoming involute;

basal withering.

Inflorescences

subumbellate, 1–4-flowered;

bracts 1–8 cm.

subumbellate, 1–4-flowered;

bracts congested, unequal.

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 marked similar to petals, usually shorter, lanceolate, glabrous, apex acuminate;

petals white, tinged with lilac or infrequently magenta, yellow at base, with reddish brown or purple band or blotch distal to gland, broadly obovate, cuneate, sparsely invested near gland with slender hairs, apex usually short-acuminate;

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

filaments ca. equaling anthers;

anthers yellowish or pinkish, oblong, apex obtuse.

Capsules

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

erect, linear-lanceoloid, 3-angled, apex acuminate.

Seeds

light beige, flat.

flat.

2n

= 14, 28.

= 16.

Calochortus luteus

Calochortus nuttallii

Phenology Flowering late spring–mid summer. Flowering late spring–late summer.
Habitat Heavy soils in grasslands, open woodlands, mixed evergreen forests Dry soils
Elevation 0–700 m (0–2300 ft) 700–3300 m (2300–10800 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; CO; ID; MT; ND; NE; NM; NV; SD; UT; WY
[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.)

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. macrocarpus, C. minimus, C. monanthus, C. monophyllus, C. nitidus, C. nudus, 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
Synonyms Mariposa lutea
Name authority Douglas ex Lindley: Edwards’s Bot. Reg. 19: plate 1567. (1833) Torrey: in H. Stansbury, Exped. Great Salt Lake, 397. (1852)
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