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LILIACEAE

LILY FAMILY

Dale W. McNeal, except as specified

Perennial to trees, from membranous bulb, fibrous corm, scaly rhizome, or erect caudex
Stem generally underground
Leaves generally basal, often withering early, alternate, generally ± linear
Inflorescence various, generally bracted
Flower generally bisexual, generally radial; perianth often showy, segments generally 6 in two petal-like whorls (outer sometimes sepal-like), free or fused at base; stamens 6 (or 3 + generally 3 ± petal-like staminodes), filaments sometimes attached to perianth or fused into a tube or crown; ovary superior or inferior, chambers 3, placentas generally axile, style generally 1, stigmas generally 3
Fruit: generally capsule, loculicidal or septicidal (berry or nut)
Genera in family: ± 300 genera, 4600 species: especially ± dry temp and subtropical; many cultivated for ornamental or food; some TOXIC. Here includes genera sometimes treated in Agavaceae, Amaryllidaceae, and other families.

CALOCHORTUS

Peggy Fiedler and Bryan Ness

Bulb coat generally membranous
Leaves generally linear to lanceolate; basal leaf 1; cauline leaves 0–several, smaller upwards
Inflorescence often ± umbel-like; flowers 2–many
Flower spheric and closed to nearly rotate; sepals generally < petals, generally ± lanceolate (ovate), generally nearly glabrous; petals generally widely wedge-shaped, generally hairy inside, nectary near base; filaments ± flat, anthers generally attached at base; style 1, stigmas 3
Fruit: capsule, septicidal, generally ± oblong, generally 3-angled or -winged; chambers 3
Seeds many in 2 rows per chamber, generally flat, generally netted, generally ± yellow
Species in genus: ± 65 species: w North America, C.Am; many cultivated. Bulbs of some eaten by native Americans. Nectary shape and hairs important to identification
Etymology: (Greek: beautiful grass)
Reference: [Ness 1989 Syst Bot 14:495–505]
Sect. Calochortus by Bryan Ness.

Native

C. clavatus S. Watson


Stem 20–100 cm; bulblets generally 0
Leaves: basal 10–20 cm, withering
Inflorescence ± umbel-like; flowers 1–6, erect; bracts 4–8 cm, bases widest
Flower: perianth cup-shaped; sepals 20–40 mm, generally marked red-brown near base; petals 30–50 mm, yellow, generally banded darker above nectary, hairs near nectary club-shaped, nectary round, ± depressed, surrounded by fringed membrane, surface densely short-knobby-hairy
Fruit erect, 6–9 cm, narrowly lanceolate, angled
Chromosomes: n=8
Ecology: Rocky slopes, chaparral, open forest, often on serpentine
Elevation: < 1800 m.
Bioregional distribution: n&c Sierra Nevada Foothills, w San Joaquin Valley, south-central Central Coast, e San Francisco Bay Area, South Coast Ranges, n Western Transverse Ranges, San Gabriel Mountains.

Native

var. pallidus (Hoover) P.L. Fiedl. & Zebell


Stem 50–100 cm, coarse, zigzag
Flower: petals light yellow, hairs not very knobby; anthers yellow to medium purple
Ecology: Habitats of sp
Elevation:
Bioregional distribution: w San Joaquin Valley (and adjacent e San Francisco Bay Area, Inner South Coast Ranges), n Western Transverse Ranges
Horticultural information: DFCLT.

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