Common Name: LILY FAMILY Habit: Perennial herb from membranous bulb or scaly rhizome. Stem: underground or erect, branched or not. Leaf: basal or cauline, alternate, subopposite, or whorled. Inflorescence: raceme, panicle, +- umbel-like or not. Flower: perianth parts 6 in 2 generally petal-like whorls, often showy; stamens 3 or 6, filaments free or +- fused to perianth, anthers attached at base or near middle; ovary superior or +- so, style 1, entire or 3-lobed. Fruit: capsule or berry. Seed: 3--many, flat or angled, brown to black. Genera In Family: 16 genera, 635 species: northern temperate. Note: Users strongly encouraged to protect plants by working around need to see underground parts in using keys, e.g., by trying both leads in couplets solely dependent on such characters. Muscari botryoides (L.) Mill. an historical waif in California. Other TJM (1993) taxa moved to Agavaceae (Agave, Camassia, Chlorogalum, Hastingsia, Hesperocallis, Hesperoyucca, Leucocrinum, Yucca), Alliaceae (Allium, Ipheion, Nothoscordum), Amaryllidaceae (Amaryllis, Narcissus, Pancratium), Asparagaceae (Asparagus), Asphodelaceae (Aloe, Asphodelus, Kniphofia), Melanthiaceae (Pseudotrillium, Stenanthium, Toxicoscordion, Trillium, Veratrum, Xerophyllum), Nartheciaceae (Narthecium), Ruscaceae (Maianthemum, Nolina), Smilacaceae (Smilax), Tecophilaeaceae (Odontostomum), Themidaceae (Androstephium, Bloomeria, Brodiaea, Dichelostemma, Muilla, Triteleia), and Tofieldiaceae (Triantha). North American species of Disporum now in Prosartes. eFlora Treatment Author: Dale W. McNeal, except as noted Scientific Editor: Dale W. McNeal, Thomas J. Rosatti.
Habit: Bulb coat generally membranous, occasionally fibrous. Stem: scapose or leafy, generally erect, generally branched, bulblets in axils of lower leaves or 0. Leaf: generally linear to lanceolate; basal leaf 1, persistent or not; cauline leaves 0--several, occasionally appearing basal, generally smaller upward, withering or not. Inflorescence: often +- umbel-like; flowers 2--many; bracts 0--several, generally opposite, often paired. Flower: perianth +- closed, spheric to oblong, or open, bell-shaped or +- rotate; sepals generally < petals, generally +- lanceolate (ovate), generally +- glabrous; petals generally widely wedge-shaped, occasionally clawed, generally hairy adaxially, nectary near base; stamens 6, filaments +- flat, often dilated at base, anthers generally attached at base or appearing so; style 1, stigmas 3. Fruit: capsule, septicidal; oblong or linear, generally 3-angled or -winged, chambers 3. Seed: many in 2 rows per chamber, flat, generally +- tan or +- yellow, translucent, or irregular dark brown, often net-like. Etymology: (Greek: beautiful grass) Note: Bulbs of some eaten by Native Americans. Many taxa variable, difficult to key. eFlora Treatment Author: Peggy L. Fiedler Unabridged Reference: Patterson & Givnish 2003 New Phytologist 161:253--264
NATIVE Stem: 40--60 cm, simple, bulblets present. Leaf: basal 20--30 cm, withering; cauline reduced upward. Inflorescence: +- umbel-like; flowers 1--4, erect; bracts 2--8 cm. Flower: perianth bell-shaped; sepals 20--40 mm; petals 20--40 mm, +- rounded, white to purple or pale yellow, central red spot within pale yellow, sparsely hairy; nectary 1 crescent or chevron, not depressed, densely short-hairy; filaments not dilated at base, anthers purple, pink to yellow-white. Fruit: erect, 4--6 cm, lanceolate. Ecology: Hard clay from volcanic or metamorphic rocks; Elevation: < 800 m. Bioregional Distribution: w CW. Flowering Time: Apr--Jun Note: Flowers highly variable, generally showy. Jepson eFlora Author: Peggy L. Fiedler Index of California Plant Names (ICPN; linked via the Jepson Online Interchange) Previous taxon: Calochortus amoenus Next taxon: Calochortus bruneaunis
Botanical illustration including Calochortus argillosus
Citation for this treatment: Peggy L. Fiedler 2012, Calochortus argillosus, in Jepson Flora Project (eds.) Jepson eFlora, https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/eflora_display.php?tid=76542, accessed on October 08, 2024.
Citation for the whole project: Jepson Flora Project (eds.) 2024, Jepson eFlora, https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/, accessed on October 08, 2024.
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CCH collections by month
Duplicates counted once; synonyms included.
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