''Calochortus lyallii'', or Lyall's mariposa lily, is a

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

n species of flowering plant in the lily family. It is native and endemic to Province of British Columbia in western

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, as well as the

State of Washington Washington (), officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. Named for George Washington—the first U.S. president—the state was formed from the western part of the Washington ...

in the northwestern

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. It only grows east of the Cascade crest in the mountains and foothills, and though its numbers are apparently secure in Washington, it is considered to be a blue-listed species in Canada- blue-listed taxa are at risk, but are not extirpated, endangered or threatened. It is found in dry to mesic open forest at lower to middle elevations in the mountains, commonly found with ''

Pinus ponderosa ''Pinus ponderosa'', commonly known as the ponderosa pine, bull pine, blackjack pine, western yellow-pine, or filipinus pine is a very large pine tree species of variable habitat native to mountainous regions of western North America. It is the ...

'' (Ponderosa pine), '' Pseudotsuga menziesii'' (Douglas fir), ''

Calamagrostis rubescens ''Calamagrostis rubescens'' is a species of grass known by the common name pinegrass. Distribution It is native to western North America, including Canada from British Columbia to Manitoba and the United States from California to Colorado. It ca ...

'' (pinegrass) and ''

Carex geyeri ''Carex geyeri'' is a species of sedge known by the common names Geyer's sedge and elk sedge. It is native to western North America from British Columbia to California to Colorado, where it grows in dry areas in mountain meadows, grasslands, and ...

'' (elk sedge).

Description

''Calochortus lyallii'' is a bulb-producing

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 medicinal ...

up to about 50 centimeters tall. Flowers are upright, bell-shaped, white to pale violet with darker markings on the petals.Flora of North America, Vol. 26 Page 130, ''Calochortus lyallii'' S. Watson
/ref>Baker, John Gilbert 1874. Journal of the Linnean Society, Botany 14(76): 305
description in Latin

References

External links

WTU Herbarium ImagesUSDA Plants Database for ''Calochortus lyalli''E-Flora BC Atlas page for ''Calochortus lyallii''''Calochortus lyallii'' in Flora of North America

Gallery

File:Calochortus lyallii 4.jpg, Calochortus lyallii pre-flowering File:Calochortus lyallii 3.jpg, Calochortus lyallii File:Calochortus lyallii - Flickr 003.jpg, Calochortus lyallii - Flickr 003 File:Calochortus lyallii 5.jpg, Calochortus lyallii 5 {{Taxonbar, from=Q15538746 lyallii Flora of British Columbia Flora of Washington (state) Plants described in 1874 Flora without expected TNC conservation status