Calochortus subalpinus
Perennial bulb-forming monocot lily native to the Pacific Northwest (Washington and Oregon), with an unbranched stem up to about 30 cm tall and white to pale lavender flowers with white and orange hairs on the petals, blooming May–August in rocky, high-elevation grasslands
Common Names
Subalpine Mariposa Lily, Cascade Mariposa Lily, Mountain Cat's Ear, Cat's Ear Lily
Summary
Subalpine mariposa lily is a bulbous perennial herb native to the northwestern United States, occurring in Oregon and Washington. It grows from a rosette of basal leaves into an unbranched stem about 5–20 cm tall, bearing 1–5 creamy white flowers whose inner surfaces are hairy; sepals are about the same length as petals and each sepal bears a purple dot, with a lunate, nearly tubular nectary and hairs on the front crest (back crest with sparse hairs).
Its habitat includes forests, dry meadows, rocky grasslands, and rocky summit balds at mid- to high elevations (800–2500 m), including volcanic soils in open areas. It blooms from May to August and is native to western Oregon and Washington; it is a bulbous geophyte with basal leaves and uncommon rarity. Indigenous peoples historically dug bulbs for food, eaten raw or roasted.
Lifecycle
Perennial
Height
2-11 inches
Spread
Unknown
Soil Type
Rocky soils, volcanic soils
Soil Drainage
Unknown
Soil pH
No data available.
Bloom Color
Cream to white, white to pale lavender, white to yellowish cream
Bloom Time
Summer
Fall Foliage Color
Unknown
Seasons of Interest
Spring and Summer
Propagation Methods
Seeds, Division
Attracts Wildlife
Attracts beetles
Taxonomy
- Taxonomic Rank
- Species
- Author
- Piper
- Publication
- Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 11: 195 (1906)
Superior Taxa
- Kingdom
- Plantae
- Subkingdom
- Pteridobiotina
- Phylum
- Angiosperms
- Order
- Liliales
- Family
- Liliaceae
- Genus
- Calochortus