| Calochortus weedii | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Monocots |
| Order: | Liliales |
| Family: | Liliaceae |
| Subfamily: | Calochortoideae |
| Genus: | Calochortus |
| Species: | C. weedii |
| Binomial name | |
| Calochortus weedii Alph.Wood |
|
Calochortus weedii is a species of flowering plant in the lily family known by the common name Weed's mariposa lily. It is native to the coastal mountain ranges of southern California and Baja California, where it is a member of the chaparral flora. It is a perennial herb producing a slender, branching stem 30 to 90 centimeters tall. There is a basal leaf up to 40 centimeters long which withers by the time the plant blooms. The inflorescence bears 2 to 6 erect, widely bell-shaped to spreading flowers. Each flower has three narrow sepals and three wider and sometimes shorter petals, each segment up to 3 centimeters long. The petals are oval or wedge-shaped and may be any of a variety of colors, from cream to deep yellow to reddish purple. The petals often have reddish brown borders and flecks, and a coating of hairs on the inner surface. The fruit is an angled capsule 4 to 5 centimeters long.
One variety of this plant, var. vestus, is now often treated as a species in its own right named Calochortus fimbriatus.[1]