Calochortus macrocarpus

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Calochortus macrocarpus
Calochortus macrocarpus.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Liliales
Family: Liliaceae
Genus: Calochortus
Species:
C. macrocarpus
Binomial name
Calochortus macrocarpus
Synonyms [1]

Mariposa macrocarpa(Douglas) Hoover

Calochortus macrocarpus, also known as sagebrush mariposa lily, is a North American species of bulbous perennials in the lily family. [2] [1] [3]

Contents

Distribution

The plant is native to the Northwestern United States (Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and western Montana), northern California, northern Nevada, and a small area of southern British Columbia. [4] Habitats include the Great Basin and Cascade Range. [5]

Description

Calochortus macrocarpus leaves are blue-green and grass-like. The bulbs are tapering, like a carrot. [4] [6]

The flowers are large and three-petaled, and are pink to purple and sometimes white, with a greenish stripe on their underside. The sepals are about 2 inches long, much narrower and slightly longer than the petals. [7] They typically bloom in June and July. [6]

Uses

First peoples in southern British Columbia harvested the bulbs from April to June. They can be eaten raw or cooked. [6]

References

  1. 1 2 Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
  2. Douglas, David 1828. Transactions of the Horticultural Society of London 7(2): 276–277, plate 8
  3. Gerritsen, M.E. & Parsons, R. (2007). Calochortus: Mariposa lilies & their relatives: 1-232. Timber press, Inc. Portland, U.S.A.
  4. 1 2 Calochortus macrocarpus in Flora of North America @ efloras.org
  5. Jepson Manual
  6. 1 2 3 Turner, Nancy J. Food Plants of Interior First Peoples (Victoria: University of British Columbia Press, 1997) ISBN   0-7748-0606-0
  7. Taylor, Ronald J. (1994) [1992]. Sagebrush Country: A Wildflower Sanctuary (rev. ed.). Missoula, MT: Mountain Press Pub. Co. p. 74. ISBN   0-87842-280-3. OCLC   25708726.