Calochortus monanthus

Single-flowered mariposa lily

Family: Liliaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1A

Single-flowered mariposa lily is a rare (CNPS 1A) California native perennial found in the northeastern Klamath Ranges near Yreka, Siskiyou County, in vernal meadow habitat at approximately 800 meters elevation. Flowering in June, this plant produces a single erect flower with pink petals 40 to 50 millimeters long, featuring a distinctive chevron-shaped dark red spot above each nectary and delicate irregular teeth near the petal tips. Growing with a simple, straight stem and basal leaves that wither, the plant emerges from a bulb that produces small bulblets. Its petals are obovate to wedge-shaped, sparsely hairy near the nectary, with long linear bracts surrounding the solitary bloom. The fruit develops as an erect, linear, angled structure that continues the plant's elegant form.

Habitat: Presumed extinct; vernal meadow

Bloom period: Jun

Elevation: +- 800 m.

Bioregions: ne KR (near Yreka, Siskiyou Co.).

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