Calochortus flexuosus

Winding mariposa lily

Family: Liliaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Winding mariposa lily is a California native perennial found in eastern desert regions in dry, rocky creosote-bush and sagebrush scrub at elevations of 600 to 1,700 meters. Flowering from April to May, this plant produces white flowers with lilac tints and purple spots, 30 to 40 millimeters long, arranged in 1 to 6 erect blossoms. Growing 10 to 40 centimeters tall with generally wavy and sprawling stems that often intertwine with surrounding vegetation, it has a distinctive meandering growth habit. Its basal leaves reach 10 to 20 centimeters long and wither early, while cauline leaves are linear and long-tapered, becoming progressively reduced toward the stem's apex. The fruit is an erect, stout structure 3 to 4 centimeters long, bearing flat, light tan seeds with a distinctive net-like pattern.

Habitat: Dry, rocky sites; creosote-bush or sagebrush scrub

Bloom period: Apr-May

Elevation: 600-1700 m

Bioregions: e D

California counties: Riverside, Inyo, San Bernardino, Los Angeles, Kern

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.