Calochortus Sunset Western Garden Book, 1995:606–607 is a genus of flowering plants in the lily family. The group includes herbaceous, perennial and bulbous species, all native to North America (primarily the Western United States).
The genus Calochortus includes mariposas (or mariposa lilies) with open wedge-shaped petals, globe lilies and fairy lanterns with globe-shaped flowers, and cat's ears and star tulips with erect pointed petals. The word Calochortus is derived from Greek and means "beautiful grass".
Description Calochortus stems grow to over tall.
The flowers can be white, yellow, pink, red-orange, or purplish. They are up to wide, with six tepals. Unlike most other Liliaceae, Calochortus tepals are in two series that differ in size and color.Dale, Nancy; Flowering Plants of the Santa Monica Mountains, Capra Press, 1986; pg. 28 The outer three are generally narrower and more sepal-like, while the inner three are larger, usually with bright marks at the base, and are often described as petals. The flowers are borne on a stem that arises from a bulb, generally in the spring or early summer. The insides of the petals are often very 'hairy'. These hairs, along with the nectaries, are often used in distinguishing species from each other.Flora of North America, Vol. 26 Page 119 Calochortus Pursh, Fl. Amer. Sept. 1: 240. 1814.
The group includes herbaceous, perennial, and bulbous species.Pursh, Frederick Traugott. 1813. Flora Americae Septentrionalis; or, A systematic arrangement and description of the plants of North America. Containing, besides what have been described by preceding authors, many new and rare species, collected during twelve years travels and residence in that country 1: 240 in English and Latin
Taxonomy History Calochortus was first proposed in 1814 by Frederick Pursh to accommodate a specimen—C. elegans—received from the Lewis and Clark expedition. In the 1800s, several species were added to the genus; however, much mistakes in naming conventions led to confusion and minimal knowledge gained by the end of the century.
In 1940, Francis Marion Ownbey wrote a comprehensive monograph on Calochortus, referencing morphological evidence, geographical distribution, and his own study of cytological material. Ownbey proposed a treatment dividing Calochortus into three sections (later corroborated by J. M. Beal):
Eucalochortus Ten basic chromosomes and two known cases of tetraploidy Includes subsections Pulchelli, Eleganti, Nudi, Nitidi Mariposa Basic chromosome numbers between six and nine Includes subsections Venusti, Macrocarpi, Nuttalliani, Gunnisoniani Cyclobothra Nine basic chromosomes Includes subsection Weediani
In 1985, F.N. Rasmussen developed a new treatment splitting Calochortus from Liliaceae, moving it into a separate family—Calochortaceae—based on chromosomal evidence, septicidal fruit, and a Polygonum type embryo sac formation. Rasmussen found that the basic chromosome numbers of Calochortus vary between seven and twenty.
Subdivision update In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Thomas B. Patterson and Thomas J. Givnish gathered additional evidence to create a new Calochortus treatment, subdividing it into seven sections and providing reasoning behind Calochortus being separate from Liliaceae. In 1999, Patterson used cpDNA (specifically rbcL and ndhF sequences) isolated from frozen or silica dried leaf tissue to develop a molecular phylogeny, finding that Calochortus should be divided into seven major clades based on geographic location:Patterson, TB. 1999. Phylogeny, biogeography, and evolutionary trends in the core Liliales and Calochortus (Calochortaceae): Insights from DNA sequenced data (Ph.D.). United States -- Wisconsin: The University of Wisconsin - Madison.
Bay Area Pacific Northwest San Diego Great Basin- Rocky Mountains Coast Ranges- Sierra Nevada Southwestern California Central Mexico
Patterson also determined at the time that concerted convergence and phylogenetic niche conservatism may have confounded the idea that Calochortaceae (Calochortus) and Liliaceae are closely related. In 2002, Patterson and Givnish expanded on these arguments, showing that concerted convergence was demonstrated through independent evolution of characteristics such as bulbs and showy flowers and the distinct differences of these appearing as a result of survival in specific habitats. Regarding phylogenetic niche conservatism, Patterson and Givnish make the argument that this phenomenon is present in the plesiomorphic characteristics of rhizomes, inconspicuous flowers, berries, broad leaves, and reticulate venation.
In 2004, Patterson and Givnish made the shift to lump Calochortus within Liliaceae within their paper per the recommendations of Bremer et al. (2003) and Bremer, Chase, and Stevens (1998). Using similar DNA collection techniques to Patterson (1999), Patterson and Givnish developed a more detailed molecular phylogeny, comparing the seven recently determined sections to Ownbey's original three and finding that Ownbey's Eucalochortus section is monophyletic, Mariposa is paraphyletic, and Cyclobothra is polyphyletic. As a result of their research, Patterson and Givnish (2004) found that the two main factors of Calochortus speciation are:
Poor dispersal caused by heavy, passively dispersed seeds Chromosomal evolution allowing different clades to "double up" and radiate sympatrically without hybridizing
Serpentine tolerance Within Calochortus, almost one-third of species are characterized by ultramafic (form serpentine soils) habitat preferences or specific edaphic requirements, with several being endemic to their environments. Thus, scientists have used serpentine tolerance in understanding evolutionary relationships within the genus. For instance, Patterson and Givnish (2004) created a serpentine tolerance phylogeny. 18 serpentine tolerant species were found (classified by occurring in whole or in part on serpentine soils) and the largest presence of tolerance was found in the Bay Area and Pacific Northwest clades—areas with unusually high numbers of serpentine rocks at the Earth's surface. In addition, Patterson and Givnish (2004) found that 11 out of 18 species displayed only two origins of serpentine tolerance in evolutionary history.
Species The genus contains the following species:Gerritsen, Mary E and Parsons, R. Calochortus. Mariposa Lilies and Their Relatives. Timber Press, 2007.Biota of North America Program 2034 county distribution mapsEspejo Serena, A. & López-Ferrari, A.R. (1994). Las Monocotiledóneas Mexicanas una Sinopsis Florística 1(3): 1-74. Consejo Nacional de la Flora de México, México D.F.Gerritsen, M.E. & Parsons, R. (2007). Calochortus: Mariposa lilies & their relatives: 1-232. Timber press, Inc. Portland, U.S.A.
Image Scientific name Subspecies Distribution Calochortus albus white globelily CA, Baja California Calochortus amabilis Diogenes' lantern CA Calochortus ambiguus doubting mariposa lily UT AZ NM Sonora Calochortus amoenus purple globelily CA Calochortus apiculatus pointed-tip mariposa lily British Columbia, Alberta, WA OR ID MT WY Calochortus argillosus CA Calochortus aureus golden mariposa lily UT CO AZ NM Calochortus balsensis Oaxaca, Guerrero Calochortus barbatus yellow globe lily from Chihuahua to Oaxaca Calochortus bruneaunis Bruneau mariposa lily CA OR NV UT ID MT Calochortus catalinae Santa Catalina mariposa lily — (threatened by development) CA Calochortus cernuus Morelos Calochortus ciscoensis UT Calochortus clavatus club-hair mariposa lily Calochortus clavatus var. avius -rare, Calochortus clavatus var. gracilis Calochortus clavatus ssp. clavatus Calochortus clavatus ssp. pallidus Calochortus clavatus ssp. recurvifolius — rare CA Calochortus coeruleus beavertail grass CA Calochortus concolor golden-bowl mariposa lily CA, Baja California Calochortus coxii Cox's mariposa lily OR Calochortus dunnii Dunn's mariposa lily — rare CA, Baja California Calochortus elegans northwestern mariposa lily; star tulip Calochortus elegans var. elegans elegant mariposa lily Calochortus elegans var. nanus Calochortus elegans var. oreophilus elegant mariposa lily Calochortus elegans var. selwayensis Selway mariposa lily CA OR WA ID MT Calochortus eurycarpus white mariposa lily OR WA NV ID MT WY Calochortus excavatus Inyo mariposa lily (threatened by groundwater development) - CA Calochortus exilis Hidalgo Calochortus fimbriatus late-blooming mariposa lily — rare CA Calochortus flexuosus winding mariposa lily CA NV UT CO AZ NM Baja California, Sonora Calochortus foliosus Michoacán Calochortus fuscus Mexico Calochortus greenei Green's mariposa lily — rare CA OR Calochortus ghiesbreghtii Mexico, Guatemala Calochortus gunnisonii Gunnison's mariposa lily Calochortus gunnisonii var. gunnisonii Calochortus gunnisonii var. perpulcher ID MT WY SD NE CO UT AZ NM Calochortus hartwegii Aguascalientes, Nayarit, Jalisco Calochortus howellii Howell's mariposa lily OR †Calochortus indecorus Sexton Mountain mariposa lily OR - extinct Calochortus invenustus plain mariposa lily CA NV Calochortus kennedyi desert mariposa lily Calochortus kennedyi var. kennedyi Calochortus kennedyi var. munzii CA NV AZ Sonora, Chihuahua Calochortus leichtlinii smokey mariposa CA NV OR Calochortus longibarbatus longbeard mariposa lily Calochortus longibarbatus var. longibarbatus — (threatened by grazing) Calochortus longibarbatus var. peckii CA OR WA Calochortus luteus yellow mariposa lily CA Calochortus lyallii Lyall's mariposa lily WA, British Columbia Calochortus macrocarpus sagebrush mariposa lily Calochortus macrocarpus var. macrocarpus Calochortus macrocarpus var. maculosus Nez Perce mariposa lily CA NV OR WA ID MT, British Columbia Calochortus marcellae Nuevo León, Coahuila, Tamaulipas Calochortus mendozae Querétaro, San Luis Potosí Calochortus minimus Sierran mariposa lily CA †Calochortus monanthus Shasta River mariposa lily CA (presumed extinct) Calochortus monophyllus yellow startulip CA OR Calochortus nigrescens Oaxaca Calochortus nitidus broad-fruit mariposa lily WA OR ID Calochortus nudus naked mariposa lily CA OR Calochortus nuttallii sego lily, (state flower of Utah) ND SD NE MT ID CO UT NV AZ NM Calochortus obispoensis San Luis mariposa lily CA Calochortus palmeri Palmer's mariposa lily Calochortus palmeri var. munzii Munz's mariposa lily Calochortus palmeri var. palmeri — rare CA Calochortus panamintensis Panamint Mountain mariposa lily — rare CA NV Calochortus persistens Siskiyou mariposa lily — rare CA OR Calochortus plummerae Plummer's mariposa lily — rare CA Calochortus pringlei Morelos, Puebla, Jalisco, Oaxaca Calochortus pulchellus Mount Diablo globelily CA Calochortus raichei Cedars mariposa lily CA Calochortus simulans San Luis Obispo mariposa lily CA Calochortus spatulatus Mexico Calochortus splendens splendid mariposa lily CA, Baja California Calochortus striatus alkali mariposa lily CA NV Calochortus subalpinus subalpine mariposa lily, Cascade mariposa lily, cat's ear lily WA OR Calochortus superbus superb mariposa CA Calochortus syntrophus Callahan's mariposa lily CA Calochortus tiburonensis Tiburon mariposa CA Calochortus tolmiei Tolmie's star-tulip, hairy pussy ears CA OR WA Calochortus umbellatus Oakland mariposa lily CA Calochortus umpquaensis Umpqua mariposa lily OR Calochortus uniflorus mariposa 'Cupido' CA OR Calochortus venustulus Mexico Calochortus venustus butterfly mariposa, white mariposa CA Calochortus vestae Vesta's mariposa, Coast Range mariposa CA Calochortus weedii Weed's mariposa CA, Baja Calilfornia Calochortus westonii Shirley Meadow star-tulip, Weston's mariposa CA
Etymology The word Calochortus is derived from Greek and means "beautiful grass".
Distribution and habitat