''Calochortus elegans'' is a species of flowering plant in the

lily family The lily family, Liliaceae, consists of about 15 genera and 610 species of flowering plants within the order Liliales. They are monocotyledonous, perennial, herbaceous, often bulbous geophytes. Plants in this family have evolved with a ...

known by the common name elegant Mariposa lily, cat's ear, elegant cat's ears or star tulip. It is native to the western United States from northern

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

Montana Montana () is a U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West List of regions of the United States#Census Bureau-designated regions and divisions, division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North ...

. It is a

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

herb In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicina ...

producing a slender, generally unbranched stem up to 15 centimeters in height. The

basal leaf A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, s ...

is 10 to 20 centimeters long and does not wither at flowering. The

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed ...

bears 1 to 7 erect bell-shaped flowers. Each flower has three

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 The term ''sepalum'' was coined ...

s and three

petal Petals are modified leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''corolla''. Petals are usuall ...

s with very hairy inner surfaces and edges. Each petal is greenish white in color with a purple crescent above a hairless patch at the base. The fruit is a winged capsule about 2 centimeters long. The

bulb In botany, a bulb is structurally a short stem with fleshy leaves or leaf basesBell, A.D. 1997. ''Plant form: an illustrated guide to flowering plant morphology''. Oxford University Press, Oxford, U.K. that function as food storage organs du ...

is a choice wild

root vegetable Root vegetables are underground plant parts eaten by humans as food. Although botany distinguishes true roots (such as taproots and tuberous roots) from non-roots (such as bulbs, corms, rhizomes, and tubers, although some contain both hypocoty ...

when eaten cooked, and can be eaten raw to avoid

starvation Starvation is a severe deficiency in caloric energy intake, below the level needed to maintain an organism's life. It is the most extreme form of malnutrition. In humans, prolonged starvation can cause permanent organ damage and eventually, dea ...

. ;Varieties * ''Calochortus elegans'' var. ''amoenus'' (Greene) auct. * ''Calochortus elegans'' var. ''amoenus'' hort. * ''Calochortus elegans'' var. ''elegans'' Pursh -

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and W ...

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idah ...

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

* ''Calochortus elegans'' var. ''lobbii'' Baker * ''Calochortus elegans'' var. ''major'' Hook. * ''Calochortus elegans'' var. ''minor'' Hook. * ''Calochortus elegans'' var. ''nanus'' Alph.Wood -

, northern

* ''Calochortus elegans'' var. ''oreophilus'' Ownbey * ''Calochortus elegans'' var. ''selwayensis'' (H.St.John) Ownbey -

* ''Calochortus elegans'' var. ''subclavatus'' Baker

References

External links

*
Calflora Database: ''Calochortus elegans'' (Elegant mariposa lily, Northwestern mariposa lily)

USDA Plants Profile for ''Calochortus elegans'' (elegant mariposa lily)

Jepson Manual eFlora (TJM2) treatment of ''Calochortus elegans''

UC Photos gallery of ''Calochortus elegans''

''Calochortus elegans'' at eppo.int
( EPPO code CCUEL)
''Calochortus elegans'' at global names
elegans Flora of California Flora of the Northwestern United States Flora of the Klamath Mountains Plants described in 1813 Root vegetables Taxa named by Frederick Traugott Pursh {{Liliales-stub

References

Further reading

External links