''Calochortus raichei'' is a rare 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 Cedars' fairy-lantern. It is
endemic to
Sonoma County, California
Sonoma County () is a county (United States), county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States Census, its population was 488,863. Its county seat and largest city is Santa Rosa, California, Santa Rosa. It is to the n ...
, where it is known only from The Cedars, an unincorporated area outside
Guerneville
Guerneville ( , ) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in the Russian River Valley of Sonoma County, California, United States. The town is historically known for the logging community, formed in the late 1800s. Guerneville ...
north of
Cazadero, just west of
Austin Creek State Recreation Area
Austin Creek State Recreation Area is a state park unit of California, United States, encompassing an isolated wilderness area. It is located in Sonoma County, California, adjacent to Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve, with which it share ...
.
[
The species is named for botanist Roger Raiche, who collected it in flower in 1982 and it was published by Farwig & Girard as a distinct new species in 1987.][McConahey, M]
Enchanted Canyon
'' The Press Democrat'' May 8, 2003.
Distribution
It is limited to the ultramafic rock (serpentine soil
Serpentine soil is an uncommon soil type produced by weathered ultramafic rock such as peridotite and its metamorphic derivatives such as serpentinite. More precisely, serpentine soil contains minerals of the serpentine subgroup, especially anti ...
) at the headwaters of Big Austin and East Austin Creeks which are part of the Russian River watershed. In the East Austin headwaters, it is not only in The Cedars, but extends SE in a contiguous band of ultramafic rock that crosses parts of Murray, Devil, Thompson, Morrison and Gilliam Creeks where it occurs on the flanking slopes. It also occurs in Grasshopper, Danfield, Cedar and House Creeks, which are part of the Wheatfield Fork of the Gualala River
The Gualala River is a river on the northern coast of California. Most of the river is in Sonoma County, but a portion is in Mendocino County. The headwaters of the river (measuring via its South Fork)U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography ...
watershed.
Description
''Calochortus raichei'' is a perennial 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 ...
from a membranous coated bulb, producing a stem which is typically 2 - 5 dm tall, but can reach 1 meter tall in some years. The gray basal leaf is up to 40 centimeters long, typically withered at flowering; there may be smaller leaves farther up the stem. The herbage of the plant is generally very waxy in texture.[
The inflorescence typically bears only one or two nodding flowers as the side branches usually do not develop, but in favored sites the side branches may produce additional flowers (3 - 12), spherical in shape with their petal tips touching. The three sepals are about 2 centimeters long and dull tan to greenish, and the three ]petal
Petals are modified Leaf, leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often advertising coloration, brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''c ...
s about 4 centimeters in length and yellow,. Both sepals and petals age to orange-bronze. The petals are coated inside and fringed with hairs. The fruit is an angled capsule around 3 -5 centimeters long containing dark brown seeds.[Flora of North America, ''Calochortus raichei'']
/ref>
References
External links
Jepson Manual Treatment - ''Calochortus raichei''United States Department of Agriculture Plants Profile: ''Calochortus raichei''''Calochortus raichei'' - Calphotos Photo gallery, University of California @ BerkeleyPacific Bulb Society, ''Calochortus'' Species Five
photos of several species including ''Calochortus raichei''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5023117
raichei
Endemic flora of California
Natural history of the California chaparral and woodlands
Natural history of the California Coast Ranges
Natural history of Sonoma County, California
Plants described in 1987