Calochortus elegans
Cat's ear, Cat's Ear
(c) Ken-ichi Ueda, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Liliaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Calochortus elegans (Cat's ear) is a native California herb in the Liliaceae family, recognized by green-white petals with dark purple base.
Cat's ear is a California native perennial found in eastern Klamath Ranges and northern Coast Ranges interior in open woodland at elevations of 1,500 to 2,500 meters. Flowering from May to July, this plant produces green-white flowers with dark purple bases, 12 to 20 millimeters long, delicately ciliate and hairy with distinctive bell-shaped petals. Growing with slender, wavy stems 5 to 15 centimeters tall, it emerges from persistent basal leaves up to 20 centimeters long. Its single or clustered flowers (up to 7) feature delicate petals with a shallow nectary bordered by short hairs and ciliate membranes. The fruit is a nodding, widely elliptic capsule 1 to 2 centimeters long, bearing irregular light brown seeds.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 9 sympatric species; green-white petals with dark purple base
Habitat and range
Habitat: Open woodland
Elevation: 1500-2500 m
California counties: Trinity, Siskiyou, Del Norte, Shasta, Plumas, Mendocino
Outside California: to Washington, Montana
Bloom period
Calochortus elegans blooms May-Jul.
How to tell it apart
vs Clarkia: Calochortus has 6 stamens and grass-like leaves; Clarkia has 8 stamens and broad stem leaves.; vs Fritillaria: Calochortus flowers open upward/outward in cups; Fritillaria flowers hang downward like bells.; vs Thismia: Calochortus has green leaves and open flowers; Thismia is leafless with closed tubular flowers.; vs Eschscholzia: Calochortus has 6 petals and parallel-veined leaves; Eschscholzia has 4 petals and divided leaves.; vs Sidalcea: Calochortus has 6 petals and grass-like leaves; Sidalcea has 5 petals and rounded lobed leaves.
Frequently asked questions
Is Calochortus elegans native to California?
Yes. Calochortus elegans is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Calochortus elegans bloom?
Calochortus elegans blooms May-Jul.
Where in California does Calochortus elegans grow?
Calochortus elegans occurs in Trinity, Siskiyou, Del Norte, Shasta, Plumas, Mendocino, at elevations of 1500-2500 m.
What plant family does Calochortus elegans belong to?
Calochortus elegans is in the Liliaceae family, genus Calochortus.
What habitat does Calochortus elegans grow in?
Calochortus elegans grows in Open woodland.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.