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Calochortus venustus
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Butterfly Mariposa
( Calochortus venustus )
Calochortus venustus
More Photos at CalPhotos
More Info at Jepson eFlora
Calflora
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About Butterfly Mariposa (Calochortus venustus)
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Calochortus venustus
is a species of flowering plant in the lily family known by the common name butterfly mariposa lily. It is endemic to California, where it can be found in the sandy soils of a number of habitats in the mountains and foothills in the central part of the state. It is a perennial herb producing a branching stem 10 to 60 centimeters tall. There is a basal leaf up to 20 centimeters long which withers by the time the plant blooms. The flower cluster is a loose cluster of 1 to 6 erect, bell-shaped flowers. The flowers are variable in size and color pattern, though white is the most common color. They are often showy and intricately patterned. They generally have three curving sepals 2 or 3 centimeters long and three oval-shaped, clawed petals up to 5 centimeters long. The petals may be a variety of colors from white to pale pink or purple to bright red or orange, and sport a large dark central blotch and a smaller, paler blotch above. The fruit is an angled capsule 5 or 6 centimeters long. Although they tend to grow singly in the wild, they have more visual impact when massed in the garden. This plant needs summer dormancy, so withhold water after it has finished blooming.
Plant Description
Plant Type
Perennial herb
Size
0.33 - 2 ft tall
0.5 ft wide
Form
Upright Columnar
Dormancy
Summer Deciduous
Flower Color
Cream, Lavender, Orange, Pink, Purple, Red, White
Flowering Season
Spring
Wildlife Supported
Numerous insects are attracted to the flowers
Butterflies & moths hosted ( 1
likely
* )
SHOW ALL
*
Orange Tortrix Moth
Argyrotaenia franciscana
Argyrotaenia franciscana
Landscaping Information
Sun
Full Sun, Part Shade
Moisture
Very Low
Summer Irrigation
Never irrigate once established
Nurseries
Carried by 5
Cold Tolerance
Tolerates cold to -10° F
Soil Drainage
Fast, Medium, Slow
Soil Description
Tolerates clay but prefers fast draining soil. Soil PH: 5.0 - 8.0
Companion Plants
Grassland species such as other
Calochortus species
,
Allium species
,
Milkweed
s (
Asclepias species
),
Brodiaea species
,
Amole
(
Chlorogalum species
),
Dichelostemma species
, Firtillaria species, various native grasses and various annual wildflowers
Propagation
?
Seed propagation is very slow. Best results come from buying bulbs. For propagating by seed: No treatment.
Sunset Zones
?
1, 2, 3, 7*, 9, 14*, 15*, 16*, 17*, 18*, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Natural Setting
Site Type
Sandy (often granitic) soil in grassy places, typically hilly areas of the Coast Ranges and Sierra foothills
Climate
Annual Precipitation: 6.0" - 59.2", Summer Precipitation: 0.14" - 1.83", Coldest Month: 28.1" - 56.0", Hottest Month: 53.0" - 79.2", Humidity: 0.59" - 29.47", Elevation: 3" - 9077"
Alternative Names
Common Names
: Butterfly Mariposa Lily
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Butterfly Mariposa
Calochortus venustus
Sources include:
Wikipedia
. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License
. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the
California Consortia of Herbaria
, Sunset information provided by
Jepson Flora Project
. Propogation from seed information provided by the
Santa Barbara Botanical Garden
from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include
CalPhotos
,
Wikimedia Commons
, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include
Calflora
,
CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online
,
Jepson Flora Project
,
Las Pilitas
,
Theodore Payne
,
Tree of Life
,
The Xerces Society
, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from
PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University
, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.
Links:
Jepson eFlora Taxon Page
CalPhotos
Wikipedia
Calflora
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