Calochortus splendens

Splendid mariposa lily

Family: Liliaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Splendid mariposa lily is a California native perennial found in central and northern Coast Ranges, western San Joaquin Valley, central western California, western southwestern California, San Jacinto Mountains, and western edge of the Colorado Desert in grassland, chaparral, and yellow-pine forest at elevations up to 2,800 meters. Flowering from May to July, this plant produces deep lilac to purple flowers with large, widely fan-shaped petals 30 to 50 millimeters long, generously marked with purple spots and delicate white hairs near the base. Growing with slender stems 20 to 60 centimeters tall, the lily emerges from a base with two cauline leaves and long basal leaves that wither during flowering. Its petals are distinctively toothed above and feature a tapered lilac-purple claw, with nectaries densely covered in branched hairs. The fruit is an erect, linear capsule 5 to 7 centimeters long with a long-tapered tip, producing flat, light yellow to tan seeds.

Habitat: Dry, often granitic soils, grassland, chaparral, yellow-pine forest

Bloom period: May-Jul

Elevation: < 2800 m

Bioregions: c&amps NCoRI, w edge SnJV, CW, w SW, SnJt, w edge DSon

California counties: San Diego, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura, Fresno, Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Napa, Santa Barbara, Colusa, Kern, San Benito, Contra Costa, Imperial, Lake, Santa Clara, Tehama, Solano, Glenn, Yolo

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