Calochortus pulchellus

Mount diablo fairy-lantern, Mount Diablo Fairy-Lantern

Family: Liliaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.2

Mount diablo fairy-lantern is a rare (CNPS 1B.2) California native perennial found in northeastern San Francisco Bay region around Mount Diablo in Contra Costa County on wooded slopes at elevations of 200 to 800 meters. Flowering from April to June, this plant produces light yellow flowers with unique spheric perianths that are narrowly ovate, approximately 25 to 33 millimeters long, with thick ciliate hairs. Growing with erect, stout stems 10 to 30 centimeters tall, it emerges with distinctive green herbage and persistent basal leaves up to 40 centimeters long. Its leaves are primarily basal with 2 to 3 reduced cauline leaves, arranged along the stem with a characteristic nodding orientation. The fruit is nodding and winged, measuring 20 to 30 millimeters long, containing irregular dark brown seeds.

Habitat: Wooded slopes, rarely chaparral, generally northern aspect

Bloom period: Apr-Jun

Elevation: 200-800 m

Bioregions: ne SnFrB (Mount Diablo, Contra Costa Co.).

California counties: Contra Costa, Napa, Alameda, Humboldt, Mendocino, Yolo, Lake, Sonoma

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