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 weediiUnited States Department of Agriculture Plants Profile: Calochortus weedii (Weed's mariposa lily)Wood, Alphonso 1868. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 20(6): 169 in Latin
It is native to the Outer Southern California Coast Ranges and the Transverse Ranges in Southern California, and the Peninsular Ranges in Southern California and Baja California. It is a member of the chaparral 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.Calfora taxon report, University of California @ Berkeley, Calochortus weedii Alph. Wood Weed's mariposa, Weed's mariposa lily
Description Calochortus weedii is a perennial herb 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 petals, 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
The fruit is an angled capsule 4 to 5 centimeters long.
Varieties Image Scientific name Distribution 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 weedii var. purpurascens, now called Calochortus fimbriatus Calochortus weedii var. vestus, now called Calochortus fimbriatus Gerritsen, M. E. and R. Parsons. Calochortus: Mariposa lilies & their relatives. Timber Press, 2007. 164.
References
External links U.C. Photos gallery: Calochortus weedii