Calochortus syntrophus

Callahan's mariposa lily

Family: Liliaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.1

Callahan's mariposa lily is a rare (CNPS 1B.1) California native perennial found in the Klamath Ranges and California Ranges in the Cove, Shasta County, within blue-oak woodland at elevations of 500 to 1,700 meters. Flowering from May to June, this distinctive lily produces white flowers with yellow bases and fringed margins, featuring dark central blotches and reaching 30 to 50 millimeters long. Growing with stout stems 40 to 60 centimeters tall and producing bulblets, it has a glaucous appearance with long basal leaves up to 30 centimeters that are deeply channeled. Its leaves are supplemented by reduced cauline leaves, with the entire plant characterized by erect, bell-shaped flowers that emerge in clusters of 1 to 5. The fruit is an erect, linear capsule 6 to 7 centimeters long, developing from the distinctive white and yellow-based flowers.

Habitat: Abundant where found. Stony sandstone (Kilarc series) in blue-oak woodland

Bloom period: May-Jun

Elevation: 500-1700 m

Bioregions: KR, CaR (The Cove, Shasta Co.).

California counties: Shasta, Tehama

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