Greene's mariposa lily

Description

Calochortus greenei is a species of flowering plant in the lily family known by the common name Greene's mariposa lily. It is native to northern California and southern Oregon, where it grows in the forest and woodlands of the mountains. It is a perennial herb which produces a branching stem up to about 30 centimeters in maximum height. There is a basal leaf about 20 centimeters long which does not wither at flowering. The inflorescence bears 1 to 5 erect bell-shaped flowers. Each flower has three sepals and three light purple petals with darker areas at the bases. The petals are 3 to 4 centimeters long and have a coat of long hairs on their inner surfaces. The fruit is a winged capsule about 2 centimeters long. Calochortus is a genus of flowering plants in the lily family. The group includes herbaceous, perennial and bulbous species, all native to North America (primarily the Western United States). The genus Calochortus includes mariposas (or mariposa lilies) with open wedge-shaped petals, globe lilies and fairy lanterns with globe-shaped flowers, and cat's ears and star tulips with erect pointed petals. The word Calochortus is derived from Greek and means "beautiful grass". Calochortus flowers have six tepals. Unlike most other Liliaceae, Calochortus tepals are in two series that differ in size and color. The outer three are generally narrower and more sepal-like, while the inner three are larger, usually with bright marks at the base. They may be described as petals. The flowers are borne on a stem that arises from a bulb, generally in the spring or early summer. Flowers can be white, yellow, pink, purple, bluish, or streaked. The insides of the petals are often very 'hairy'. These hairs, along with the nectaries, are often used in distinguishing species from each other. The genus Calochortus includes approximately 70 species distributed from southwestern British Columbia, through California and Mexico, to northern Guatemala and eastwards to New Mexico, Nebraska and the Dakotas. Calochortus is the most widely dispersed genus of Liliaceae on the North American Pacific Coast. Of these, 28 species are endemic to California.