Splendid Mariposa Lily, Calochortus splendens

About Splendid Mariposa Lily (Calochortus splendens) 4 Nurseries Carry This Plant

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Calochortus splendens is a species Liliaceae (Lily) family known by the common name Splendid Mariposa Lily. It is native to California and Baja California where it is found primarily near the coast, in foothills and valleys and on the west slope of the mountains. Growing from a bulb, it is usually found coming up among dense, low shrubs, herbs or grasses. It is a thin-stemmed lily with few leaves and bearing flowers singly or in flower clusters of up to four. Each flower is ringed with smaller, ribbonlike, curling leaves. The bowl-shaped flowers are of varying shades of blue, pink, purple, or lavender, with a spot of darker purple at the base of each petal. The flower may have numerous white hairs in the center and bright purple pollen. In the wild it blooms profusely following fire and then may not bloom again for years. In the garden do not expect it to bloom every year as flowering requires considerable expenditure of stored energy from the bulb.

Plant Description

Plant Type

Perennial herb

Size

2 ft tall
6 in wide

Dormancy

Summer Deciduous

Flower Color

Pink, Purple, Lavender, Blue

Flowering Season

Spring

Wildlife Supported

Numerous insects especially bees
Butterfly host plants

Butterflies & moths hosted ( 2 likely * ) SHOW ALL

White-lined Sphinx Hyles lineataHyles lineata

Orange Tortrix Moth Argyrotaenia franciscanaArgyrotaenia franciscana

Landscaping Information

Sun

Full Sun, Part Shade

Moisture

Very Low

Summer Irrigation

Never irrigate once established

Nurseries

Carried by 4

Ease of Care

Moderately Easy

Cold Tolerance

Tolerates cold to 10° F

Soil Drainage

Fast, Medium, Slow

Soil Description

Found in sandy or clay soils near the coast, or gravelly soils inland

Companion Plants

In the garden it works well with other geophytes such as Wild Onions (Allium sp.), Golden Star (Bloomeria sp.), Blue Dicks (Dichelostemma sp.), Brodiaea sp., Lilies (Lilium sp.), and Triteleia sp. Also works with native grasses and herbs, but avoid larger shrubs or the Calochortus may get lost in the understory.

Propagation?

Best to buy bulbs, the larger the better. For propagating by seed: No treatment. Plants require 3-5 years from seed to produce flowers.

Sunset Zones?

1, 2, 3, 7*, 9, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24

Natural Setting

Site Type

Seasonally dry slopes, flats and canyons

Climate

Annual Precipitation: 4.4" - 61.3", Summer Precipitation: 0.15" - 3.65", Coldest Month: 26.3" - 61.4", Hottest Month: 52.4" - 88.8", Humidity: 0.80" - 42.82", Elevation: 2" - 10070"

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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

Splendid Mariposa Lily

Calochortus splendens

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Splendid Mariposa LilyCalochortus splendens

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Splendid Mariposa Lily

Calochortus splendens