Calochortus elegans
Calochortus elegans in Klamath Mountains

Vulnerable  (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Liliales
Family: Liliaceae
Genus: Calochortus
Species:
C. elegans
Binomial name
Calochortus elegans
Pursh 1813 not Baker 1875
Synonyms[2]
  • Cyclobothra elegans (Pursh) Benth.
  • Calochortus nanus (Alph.Wood) Piper, syn of var. nanus
  • Calochortus selwayensis H.St.John, syn of var. selwayensis

Calochortus elegans is a species of flowering plant in the lily family known by the common name elegant Mariposa lily, cat's ear, elegant cat's ears or star tulip.[3][4] It is native to the western United States from northern California to Montana.[2][5]

It is a perennial herb producing a slender, generally unbranched stem up to 15 centimeters in height. The basal leaf is 10 to 20 centimeters long and does not wither at flowering. The inflorescence bears 1 to 7 erect bell-shaped flowers. Each flower has three sepals and three petals with very hairy inner surfaces and edges. Each petal is greenish white in color with a purple crescent above a hairless patch at the base. The fruit is a winged capsule about 2 centimeters long.[6]

The bulb is a choice wild root vegetable when eaten cooked, and can be eaten raw to avoid starvation.[7]

Varieties[2]
  • Calochortus elegans var. amoenus (Greene) auct.
  • Calochortus elegans var. amoenus hort.
  • Calochortus elegans var. elegans Pursh - Idaho, Oregon, Washington
  • Calochortus elegans var. lobbii Baker
  • Calochortus elegans var. major Hook.
  • Calochortus elegans var. minor Hook.
  • Calochortus elegans var. nanus Alph.Wood - Oregon, northern California
  • Calochortus elegans var. oreophilus Ownbey
  • Calochortus elegans var. selwayensis (H.St.John) Ownbey - Idaho, Montana
  • Calochortus elegans var. subclavatus Baker

References

  1. ↑ "NatureServe Explorer 2.0".
  2. 1 2 3 Kewe World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
  3. ↑ Jepson Manual Treatment of Calochortus elegans
  4. ↑ United States Department of Agriculture Plants Profile of Calochortus elegans
  5. ↑ Biota of North America Program 2014 county distribution map
  6. ↑ Flora of North America Vol. 26 Page 125 Cat’s ear, Calochortus elegans Pursh
  7. ↑ Reiner, Ralph E. (1969). Introducing the Flowering Beauty of Glacier National Park and the Majestic High Rockies. Glacier Park, Inc. p. 4.

Further reading

  • Calochortus elegans Hook.f. Bot. Mag. 98: t. 5976. 1872
  • Calochortus elegans Baker J. Linn. Soc., Bot. 14: 305. 1874 [1875 publ. 1874]
  • Calochortus elegans Pursh Fl. Amer. Sept. (Pursh) 1: 240. 1813 [Dec 1813]
  • Calochortus elegans Pursh Fl. Amer. Sept. (Pursh) 1: 240. 1813 [dt. 1814; issued Dec 1813]


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