''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 William Fraser Tolmie ( "Dr. Tolmie") (February 3, 1812 – December 8, 1886) was a surgeon, fur trader, scientist, and politician. He was born in Inverness, Scotland, in 1812, and by 1833 moved to the Pacific Northwest in the service of ...

. It is native to the west coast of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...

, and northern

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

as far south as Santa Cruz County, though it is now apparently extinct in

. It is a common member of the flora in several types of habitat.Calflora taxon report, University of California @ Berkeley, ''Calochortus tolmiei'' Hook. & Arn. Hairy Star Tulip, Tolmie star tulip, Tolmie's star tulip, White pussy ears
/ref>

Description

''Calochortus tolmiei'' is a

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wid ...

herb producing a slender stem, branched or unbranched, to 40 centimeters in maximum height. There is a

basal leaf 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 ...

up to 40 centimeters long which does not wither at flowering, and generally a smaller leaf farther up the stem.Flora of North America, ''Calochortus tolmiei''
/ref> The

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphology (biology), Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of sperma ...

is a solitary bloom or a cluster of bell-shaped flowers. Each has white to pale pink or purple petals, each up to 2.5 centimeters long, and three narrower

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 coine ...

s beneath. The petals are usually very hairy on their inner surfaces, and may be fringed with long hairs as well. The fruit is a winged capsule 2 or 3 centimeters long containing several dark brown seeds.

References

External links

Jepson Manual Treatment: ''Calochortus tolmiei''United States Department of Agriculture Plants Profile: ''Calochortus tolmiei''''Calochortus tolmiei'' — Calphotos Photo gallery, University of California @ Berkeley
tolmiei Flora of the Klamath Mountains Natural history of the California chaparral and woodlands Natural history of the California Coast Ranges Natural history of the San Francisco Bay Area Plants described in 1840 Flora of the West Coast of the United States Flora without expected TNC conservation status {{Liliales-stub