''Calochortus amabilis''Baldwin, B. G., D. H. Goldman, D. J. Keil, R. Patterson, T. J. Rosatti, and D. H. Wilken, editors. 2012. "The Jepson Manual: vascular plants of California", second edition. University of California press, Berkeley. pp 1380-1381Spellenberg, Richard, Professor Emeritus of Biology, New Mexico State University, ''National Audubon Society Field Guide to Wildflowers: Western Region'', copyright 2001 by Chanticleer Press, Inc. All rights reserved. Published in the US by Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House, Inc., New York. pp 576Gerritsen, Mary E. and Ron Parsons, 2007. "Calochortus : Mariposa lilies and their relatives", Timber Press. . pp 52-54Brickell, Christopher "The Royal Horticultural Society A-Z of Garden Plants (Volume 1: A-J)", 3rd ed. Copyright 1996, 2003, 2008 Dorling Kindersley Ltd., London. pp 213-214Carol Bornstein, David Fross, Bart O'Brien 2007. "California Native Plants for the Garden". Cachuma Press. (paperback) (hardcover). pp 212Parsons, Mary Elizabeth "The Wild Flowers of California", illustrated by Margaret Warriner Buck. Published by Cunningham, Curtiss & Welch, San Francisco 1912. Copyright William Doxey 1897, copyright Mary Elizabeth Parsons 1902, 1906. (no ISBN for this edition) pp 148-149Moerman, Daniel E. "Native American Food Plants: An Ethnobotanical Dictionary", first ed. Copyright Timber Press, Inc. 2010. (hardcover). pp 67Howell, John Thomas. "Marin Flora: Manual of Flowering Plants and Ferns of Marin County, California", second edition. Copyright 1949, 1970, 1985, University of California Press. pp 106Emery, Dara E. "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants", 6th edition (printed 2011). Copyright 1988 Santa Barbara Botanic Garden. . pp 43The Plant List /ref> (syn. ''C. pulchellus'' var. ''amabilis'') is a species of the genus '' Calochortus'' in the family Liliaceae. It is also known by the common names Diogenes' lantern, yellow globe-tulip, golden globe-tulip, yellow globe lily, golden fairy lantern, golden lily-bell, Chinese lantern, and short lily.
chaparral
Chaparral ( ) is a shrubland plant community and geographical feature found primarily in the U.S. state of California, in southern Oregon, and in the northern portion of the Baja California Peninsula in Mexico. It is shaped by a Mediterranean c ...
habitats.
Soil types vary, from the nearly solid serpentine rock to yellow clay.
Natural habitat is quite wet, with 75 cm or more of rain per year, followed by a dry, hot summer. Winters are cool but not frigid (USDA zones 8-9). The growing season is from midwinter to the April–May–June flowering and seed set. The plant is dormant from mid-June to November.
Common understoryplant associates are '' Calochortus luteus'', ''
Clarkia unguiculata
''Clarkia unguiculata'' is a species of wildflower known by the common name elegant clarkia or mountain garland. This plant is endemic to California, where it is found in many woodland habitats. Specifically it is common on the forest floor of man ...
'' and ''
Delphinium variegatum
''Delphinium variegatum'' is a species of larkspur known by the common name royal larkspur. It is endemic to California, where it grows in mountains, valley and coast in woodlands and grasslands. On the forest floor of California oak woodlands t ...
herb
In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal ...
producing an upright, somewhat waxy branching stem to heights between 10 and 50 centimeters. The leaf at the base of the stem is flat, waxy, and narrow in shape, reaching up to 50 centimeters long and not withering away at flowering.
The inflorescence bears two or more heavily nodding flowers, each with spreading pointed yellow sepals and brown-speckled yellow
petal
Petals are modified Leaf, leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often advertising coloration, brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''c ...
s. The inside of the petals is waxy and coated in small hairs. The fruit is a winged capsule up to three centimeters long containing dark brown seeds.
*Height: 10- 20- 30- 50 cm (4–20 in) high at maturity.
*Spread: 5 cm (2 in) spread.
*Stems: Stems are glaucous, stout,flexuous, and generally branching, reaching 10- 20-30-50 cm.
*Leaves: Leaves come in two types: cauline or
basal
Basal or basilar is a term meaning ''base'', ''bottom'', or ''minimum''.
Science
* Basal (anatomy), an anatomical term of location for features associated with the base of an organism or structure
* Basal (medicine), a minimal level that is nec ...
(
radical
Radical may refer to:
Politics and ideology Politics
*Radical politics, the political intent of fundamental societal change
*Radicalism (historical), the Radical Movement that began in late 18th century Britain and spread to continental Europe and ...
).
**Basal/radical leaves: Basal leaves are shiny,lanceolate- acuminate, narrow, measure 20- 25- 50 cm in length, and are persistent through the bloom and early fruiting stage.
**Cauline leaves: 2-4 laceolate to linear leaves, measuring 2–20 cm in length.
*Inflorescences: Nodding, pendent flowers are borne in groups of 2-many, hanging in open branched clusters. Bracts are lanceolate, and measure 2–10 cm in length.
**Flowers: Flowers measure about 2.5- 4 cm in length and are borne from April–June.
** Perianth: Perianth is spheric and is either neatly closed at the tip or has petals that overlap slightly at the tip.
***
Sepals
A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 The term ''sepalum'' was coined b ...
: Three conspicuous ovate to lanceolate, spreading sepals, are deeply appressed at the base to the petals. Sepals are often tinged green or red, and measure 1.5- 2 cm long. Sepals are held horizontally to slightly descending.
*** Petals: Three ovate or widely lanceolate petals with a short claw and obtuse apex are deeply to brightly yellow, sometimes tinged green with abaxial brown spots and are glabrous, except for the margins, which are densely ciliate (having a fringe of hairs), Petals are slightly longer than sepals and measure 1.6- 2 cm long.
** Nectary: Crescent-shaped to almost rectangular, depressed, (forming a knoblike structure on the outside of each petal) with several transverse, fringed membranes with white or yellow glandular hairs measuring 1/3-2/3 of the width of the petals.
** Stamens:
***Filaments: 5mm in length, dilated at the base.
***
Anthers
The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10
Morphology and terminology
A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filam ...
: 3-4mm in length, white to pale yellow.
*Fruit: Nodding, oblong, winged capsule, measuring 2–3 cm in length.
*Seeds: Dark brown and irregularly shaped.
Uses
Food
The bulbs of ''Calochortus amabilis'' are a traditional food of the
Kashaya Pomo
The Kashia Band of Pomo Indians of the Stewarts Point Rancheria is a federally recognized tribe of Pomo people in Sonoma County, California.Pritzker, Barry M. ''A Native American Encyclopedia: History, Culture, and Peoples''. Oxford: Oxford Univ ...
of California, who bake or boil the bulbs, which are then eaten like baked or boiled potatoes. They are a beloved food of the Pomo, locally referred to as "bo".
Cultivation
''Calochortus amabilis'' is cultivated as an ornamental plant by specialty native plant and bulb nurseries, for use in traditional and wildlife gardens, and natural landscaping projects.
*Hardiness: Hardy, particularly if well mulched. In cold areas, it can be grown in an alpine house or an unheated glasshouse.
*Light : Prefers sun to partial or full shade.
*Soil: Adaptable, but prefers well-drained soil. Prefers a humus-rich, water-retentive medium with up to two thirds organic matter and one third sand, gravel, or grit.
*Water: Drought tolerant to moderate. In the wild, the plant grows in areas with more than 2.5 cm of rain per week during the growing season. If grown in pots, plants should get 2.2-3.8 cm of water per week, since containers typically dry out more quickly. Complete dryness is needed for the dormant season; some growers dig the bulbs up for the summer to prevent premature autumn growth or bulb rot.
*Propagation: Sow seed as soon as ripe. Seeds require no treatment to aid germination.
*Pests and diseases: Trouble free.
In the wild, ''C. amabilis'' naturally hybridizes with ''
Calochortus tolmiei
''Calochortus tolmiei'' is a North American species of flowering plant in the lily family known by the common names Tolmie's star-tulip and pussy ears. It was discovered by and named for Dr. William Fraser Tolmie.
It is native to the west coas ...
''.
Etymology
''Amabilis'' means 'pleasing', 'likeable', or 'lovely'. ''Calochortus'' is derived from Greek meaning 'beautiful grass', a reference to the characteristic grass-like foliage of the genus.Gledhill, David (2008). "The Names of Plants". Cambridge University Press. (hardback), (paperback). pp 44, 86 The full name translates literally to 'lovable, beautiful grass'.
The common name "Diogenes' Lantern" is a reference to the Greek philosopher
Diogenes
Diogenes ( ; grc, Διογένης, Diogénēs ), also known as Diogenes the Cynic (, ) or Diogenes of Sinope, was a Greek philosopher and one of the founders of Cynicism (philosophy). He was born in Sinope, an Ionian colony on the Black Sea ...
, who famously carried a lantern around in broad daylight, claiming he was "looking for a man" (implying that none of the beings he saw around him qualified; sometimes quoted as "looking for an honest man").
amabilis
Amabilis (derived from Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome ...