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Palmer's mariposa lily, strangling mariposa

yellow cat's ear, yellow star-tulip

Habit Plants usually bulbose; bulb coat membranous.
Stems

usually branching, straight, 3–6 dm; bearing bulblets or not.

slender, branching or not, 0.8–2 dm.

Leaves

basal withering, 1–2 dm;

blade linear-attenuate.

basal persistent, 1–3 dm;

blade linear, flat.

Inflorescences

mono-chasiate, 1–4-flowered;

bracts 1–2 cm.

1–6-flowered.

Flowers

erect;

perianth open, broadly campanulate;

sepals usually with brownish blotch near base, lanceolate, 3 cm, apex acuminate;

petals white to lavender, sometimes with brownish blotch distal to gland, obovate-cuneate, rounded distally, 2–3 cm, usually with yellow hairs near gland, apex acute to acuminate;

glands many, rounded, not depressed, short, thick, distally knobbed, sometimes with yellowish or purplish hairs, otherwise glabrous;

filaments 7–8 mm;

anthers white, oblong, 5–7 mm, apex acute.

± erect at anthesis;

perianth open, campanulate;

sepals oblong-lanceolate, 16–20 mm, glabrous, apex acuminate;

petals deep yellow, often with red-brown blotch distal to base, narrowly obovate, 12–20 mm, ciliate, adaxial surface densely branching-hairy;

glands bordered proximally by ciliate membrane, distally by short hairs;

anthers short-tipped.

Capsules

erect, linear, angled in cross section, ca. 5 cm.

nodding, winged, oblong, 1–2 cm.

Seeds

dark brown, irregular.

2n

= 14.

= 20.

Calochortus palmeri

Calochortus monophyllus

Phenology Flowering spring.
Habitat Wooded slopes, clay-loam soils
Elevation 400–1200 m (1300–3900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; OR
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

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

Key
1. Petal glands yellow-hairy; stems bulbeliferous at base; bracts alternate.
var. palmeri
1. Petal glands glabrous or purple-hairy; stems not bulbeliferous; bracts opposite.
var. munzii
Source FNA vol. 26, p. 133. FNA vol. 26, p. 124.
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. luteus, C. lyallii, C. macrocarpus, C. minimus, C. monanthus, C. monophyllus, C. nitidus, C. nudus, C. nuttallii, C. obispoensis, 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. 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. palmeri var. munzii, C. palmeri var. palmeri
Synonyms Cyclobothra monophylla
Name authority S. Watson: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 14: 266. (1879) (Lindley) Lemaire: Fl. Serres Jard. Eur. 5: 430b. (1849)
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