Mariposa Lily
The following images are of the Sagebrush Mariposa Lily (calochortus macrocarpus), photographed in the hills near Kamloops.
- It is a perennial in the lily family.
- The study stems grow from deep-rooted bulbs and rise 20 to 50 cm tall above ground,
- The leaves are grass-like (calochortus means “beautiful grass”).
- “Mariposa” in Spanish means “butterfly.”
- The flowers are a lavender color.
- There are 1- 3 flowers per stem (mostly 1).
- It is found in the dry grasslands (and ponderosa pine open forests) and Thompson Valley hills.
- Each summer is different, but it generally flowers from mid-June to mid-July
- Because cattle eat the plants, it is less frequently seen on grazing slopes, but we see it in abundance in parks – Kenna Cartwright, Peterson Creek, Lac du Bois, Valleyview Nature Park, etc.
- All photos were taken by the author in 2016 – 2018. Hover your mouse over an image for a caption (inc. location and date) or click for a larger image.
More details:
- The petals have a green stripe over an arrow-shaped spot.
- The sepals are narrow and longer than the petals.
- It is also found in the Fraser, Okanagan and Kootenays.
- It is called sego lily in the Southwest.
- The fruits/seeds are in a 3 part upright capsule.
- We have collected the seeds and they are light colored.
- So far, we have been unable to propagate the seeds in a domestic garden.
- Livestock will eat the plant which kills the bulb.
- First Nations peoples harvested and ate the bulbs before flowering.
- What else should be added (please comment)?
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I am really enjoying the book “Botany in a Day” right now, which if you don’t know, stresses learning common features of plant families. So Lily is: Keywords: Flowers with parts in threes. Sepals and petals usually identical.
http://www.wildflowers-and-weeds.com/Plant_Identification/Patterns_in_Plants.htm#Lily_Family
Hi Doug
No need to post my comments. Nice start – good to see a website not reliant on facebook. A few spelling issues? (calchortus, livestick, bulg, alight ?). I notice in one photo an emerald wasp is present. I often see these on mariposa flowers. I asked the entomologist at work about them who I think said they are called cuckoo wasps. I think the seeds are in a single three-parted capsule as opposed to three upright capsules.
I took this photo of a seedhead late in November:
