Angiosperms (Flowering Plants) • Earth.com

Lyall's mariposa lily

(Calochortus lyallii)

galery
en

Description

Calochortus lyallii, or Lyall's mariposa lily, is a North American species of flowering plant in the lily family. It is native and endemic to Province of British Columbia in western Canada, as well as the State of Washington in the northwestern United States. It only grows east of the Cascade crest in the mountains and foothills, and though its numbers are apparently secure in Washington, it is considered to be a blue-listed species in Canada- blue-listed taxa are at risk, but are not extirpated, endangered or threatened. It is found in dry to mesic open forest at lower to middle elevations in the mountains, commonly found with Pinus ponderosa (Ponderosa pine), Pseudotsuga menziesii (Douglas fir), Calamagrostis rubescens (pinegrass) and Carex geyeri (elk sedge). Calochortus lyallii is a bulb-producing perennial herb up to about 50 centimeters tall. Flowers are upright, bell-shaped, white to pale violet with darker markings on the petals. 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.

Taxonomic tree:

Domain:
Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Magnoliophyta
Class: Liliopsida
Order:Liliales
Family:Liliaceae
Genus:Calochortus
News coming your way
The biggest news about our planet delivered to you each day