''Calochortus westonii'', common name Shirley Meadows star-tulip, is a rare endemic plant known only from the

Greenhorn Mountains The Greenhorn Mountains are a mountain range of the Southern Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra Nevada, in California. They are protected within the Sequoia National Forest. Geography The range is located in eastern Kern County, California, Kern Count ...

range of the southern Sierra Nevada, within

Kern Kern or KERN may refer to: People * Kern (surname), includes a list of people with the name * Kern (soldier), a light infantry unit in Medieval Irish armies Places * Kern, Alaska, a ghost town in Alaska * Kern, Austria, see Sankt Marienkir ...

and Tulare Counties,

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. It grows in open locations in meadows and woodlands at elevations of . It is vulnerable due to habitat loss from logging, development of ski resort, and fuel breaks.

Description

''Calochortus westonii'' is bulb-forming herb attaining a height of up to . Leaves are basal, persistent, and linear, up to long.

Sepals 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 Etymology The term ''sepalum'' ...

are green, up to long.

Petals Petals are modified leaves that form an inner whorl surrounding the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly coloured or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''coroll ...

are lanceolate, up to long, with long flexible hairs along the margins. Flowers bloom from May to June and petals are white or blue in color.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15539056 westonii Endemic flora of California Flora of the Sierra Nevada (United States) Natural history of Kern County, California Natural history of Tulare County, California Taxa named by Alice Eastwood