''Calochortus weedii'' is a North American species of flowering plants in the lily family known by the common name Weed's mariposa lily.Jepson Manual (TJM93) Treatment: ''Calochortus weedii''
/ref> It is native to the Outer Southern California Coast Ranges and the Transverse Ranges in Southern California, and the

Peninsular Ranges The Peninsular Ranges (also called the Lower California province) are a group of mountain ranges that stretch from Southern California to the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula; they are part of the North American Coast Ranges, which ...

in Southern California and Baja California. It is a member of the

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 ...

flora. Most of the California locales occur between Santa Barbara County and San Diego County, but there is a report of an isolated population along Salmon Creek in southern

Monterey County Monterey County ( ), officially the County of Monterey, is a county located on the Pacific coast in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, its population was 439,035. The county's largest city and county seat is Salinas. Montere ...

Description

''Calochortus weedii'' is a perennial

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 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

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, 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.Flora of North America, ''Calochortus weedii''
/ref> The fruit is an angled capsule 4 to 5 centimeters long.

Varieties

* ''Calochortus weedii'' var. ''intermedius'' Ownbey - Orange, Los Angeles, + Riverside Counties * ''Calochortus weedii'' var. ''peninsularis'' Ownbey - Baja California * ''Calochortus weedii'' var. ''weedii'' - California + Baja California

formerly included

Three taxa once considered varieties of ''Calochortus weedii'' are now generally classified as distinct species: * ''Calochortus weedii'' var. ''obispoensis'', now called ''

Calochortus obispoensis ''Calochortus obispoensis'' is a rare California species of flowering plants in the lily family known by the common name San Luis mariposa lily. It is endemic to San Luis Obispo County, California, where it grows in the chaparral of the coastal ...

'' * ''Calochortus weedii'' var. ''purpurascens'', now called ''

Calochortus fimbriatus ''Calochortus fimbriatus'' is a California species of flowering plant in the lily family known by the common name late-blooming mariposa lily. It is native to the coastal mountain ranges of southern Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and ...

'' * ''Calochortus weedii'' var. ''vestus'', now called ''

'' Gerritsen, M. E. and R. Parsons
''Calochortus'': Mariposa lilies & their relatives.
Timber Press, 2007. 164.

References

External links

U.C. Photos gallery: ''Calochortus weedii''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5023128 weedii Flora of California Plants described in 1868 Flora of Baja California Natural history of the California chaparral and woodlands Natural history of the California Coast Ranges Natural history of the Peninsular Ranges Natural history of the Transverse Ranges