''Calochortus pringlei'' is a bulbous plant of the lily family. It is sometimes known by the common name Pringle's cyclobothra and belongs to subsection ''Ghiesbreghtiani'' within section ''Cyclobothra'' in the genus '' Calochortus''. It occurs in mountainous south-central Mexico.

Description

''Calochortus pringlei'' is a bulbous perennial herb with deep red bell-shaped

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

s. Its

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...

glaucous ''Glaucous'' (, ) is used to describe the pale grey or bluish-green appearance of the surfaces of some plants, as well as in the names of birds, such as the glaucous gull (''Larus hyperboreus''), glaucous-winged gull (''Larus glaucescens''), g ...

and sometimes branched, reaching a height of 20–40 cm. The flowers are campanulate and upright. The upper surface of the deep maroon

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 is covered in long, tangled

hairs Hair is a protein filament that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Hair is one of the defining characteristics of mammals. The human body, apart from areas of glabrous skin, is covered in follicles which produce thick terminal and fine ...

that may be yellow, red, or violet. The nectary gland on the petals is crescent-shaped. The upper margins are jagged or fimbriate, and the undersides are glaucous. The

sepal 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 ...

s are shorter than the petals and are also purple-red above and glaucous below. The pinkish-brown

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 ...

are oblong and pointed at the tips. Blooming occurs from August to September. The fruiting capsules are held erect and are trilocular. Like other members of section ''Cyclobothra'', ''C. pringlei'' forms bulb coats that are thick and coarsely hairy, appearing like a fibrous net. It also lacks bulbils in its leaf

axils A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, st ...

, which is characteristic of members of subsection ''Ghiesbreghtiani''.

Distribution and habitat

''Calochortus pringlei'' occurs in the Mexican states

Morelos Morelos (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Morelos ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Morelos), is one of the 32 states which comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 36 municipalities and its capital city is Cuer ...

and

Puebla Puebla ( en, colony, settlement), officially Free and Sovereign State of Puebla ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Puebla), is one of the 32 states which comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 217 municipalities and its cap ...

, as well as possibly

Jalisco Jalisco (, , ; Nahuatl: Xalixco), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Jalisco ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Jalisco ; Nahuatl: Tlahtohcayotl Xalixco), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Federal En ...

. It occurs in mountainous habitats at elevations of 2100–2400m. It experiences rain in the summer and cool, dry weather in the winter.

Taxonomy and naming

''Calochortus pringlei'' was first collected by

Cyrus Guernsey Pringle Cyrus Guernsey Pringle (May 6, 1838 – May 25, 1911) was an American botanist who spent a career of 35 years cataloguing the plants of North America. He was a prolific collector and accomplished botanical explorer. Early life He was born on M ...

on 15 September 1900, who discovered it growing in thin soil on

Sierra de Tepoztlan Sierra de Tepoztlan or Tepozteco Mountain is located near the village of Tepoztlán, a ''Pueblo Mágico'', in Morelos, Mexico. The mountain range, "vulnerable to landslides, erosions, and flooding", contains only small areas of land which are ap ...

in Morelos at an elevation of 2300 m. The type specimen, which was placed in the Gray Herbarium at Harvard, was described in 1901 by

Benjamin Lincoln Robinson Benjamin Lincoln Robinson (November 8, 1864 – July 27, 1935) was an American botanist. Biography Robinson was born on November 8, 1864, in Bloomington, Illinois. In 1887, he received an A.B. from Harvard. He married Margaret Louise Casson on ...

, then curator of the herbarium, as ''C. pringlei'' in honor of its collector. In the 1940 treatise ''A Monograph of the Genus'' Calochortus, Marion Ownbey described the species as having nodding flowers based on herbarium specimens and placed ''C. pringlei'' in subsection ''Barbati''. However, Frank Callahan and Hugh McDonald, having seen live specimens, revised the placement of this species and transferred it to subsection ''Ghiesbreghtiani'' on account of its gland characteristics and upright flowers.

Cultivation

''Calochortus pringlei'' is intolerant of frost but grows well in mild climates. If grown in areas with frost in winter, its bulbs should be lifted in the fall, meaning they should be taken out of the ground and left to dry over the winter.

References

External links

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q15538859 pringlei Flora of Mexico