Calochortus persistens

Last updated

Calochortus persistens
Calochortus persistens.jpg
Status TNC G2.svg
Imperiled  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Liliales
Family: Liliaceae
Genus: Calochortus
Species:
C. persistens
Binomial name
Calochortus persistens

Calochortus persistens is a rare North American species of flowering plant in the lily family known by the common name Siskiyou mariposa lily. [1] [2] It is native to northern California and southern Oregon. [3]

Calochortus persistens grows at about nine sites scattered on the Gunsight-Humbug Ridge in Siskiyou County, California, and in one population of just a few individuals on Bald Mountain near Ashland in Jackson County, Oregon. [4] [5]

Calochortus persistens grows on rocky slopes in acidic soils and talus. This is a perennial herb producing an unbranching stem around 10 centimeters tall. There is generally one basal leaf about 20 centimeters long which persists in flowering, and one smaller leaf higher up on the stem. The inflorescence is a pair of erect, bell-shaped flowers with pinkish-purple sepals and petals 3.5 to 4 centimeter in length. The petals have bright yellow hairs near the bases. The fruit is a winged capsule about a centimeter long. [3]

Threats to this rare species include invasive species, wildfire suppression, and construction and maintenance of roads and radio towers. The non-native noxious weed dyer's woad ( Isatis tinctoria ) directly competes with the mariposa lily by monopolizing water and nutrients and producing allelopathic substances which inhibit its germination. [4] Fire suppression efforts at the California sites have resulted in overgrowth of native trees and shrubs such as Oregon-grape ( Mahonia aquifolium ) and curl-leaf mountain mahogany ( Cercocarpus ledifolius ), which shade out small wildflowers such as mariposa lilies. [4]

Related Research Articles

<i>Calochortus</i>

Calochortus is a genus of North American plants in the lily family. The group includes herbaceous, perennial and bulbous species, all native to North America.

<i>Calochortus bruneaunis</i>

Calochortus bruneaunis is a species of flowering plant in the lily family, and is known by the common name Bruneau mariposa lily.

<i>Calochortus dunnii</i> Species of plant

Calochortus dunnii is a rare species of flowering plant in the lily family known by the common name Dunn's mariposa lily.

<i>Calochortus elegans</i>

Calochortus elegans is a species of flowering plant in the lily family known by the common name elegant Mariposa lily, cat's ear, elegant cat's ears or star tulip. It is native to the western United States from northern California to Montana.

<i>Calochortus greenei</i>

Calochortus greenei is a species of flowering plant in the lily family known by the common name Greene's mariposa lily. It is native to northern California and southern Oregon, where it grows in the forest and woodlands of the mountains. It is a perennial herb which produces a branching stem up to about 30 centimeters in maximum height. There is a basal leaf about 20 centimeters long which does not wither at flowering. The inflorescence bears 1 to 5 erect bell-shaped flowers. Each flower has three sepals and three light purple petals with darker areas at the bases. The petals are 3 to 4 centimeters long and have a coat of long hairs on their inner surfaces. The fruit is a winged capsule about 2 centimeters long.

<i>Calochortus invenustus</i>

Calochortus invenustus is a species of flowering plant in the lily family known by the common name plain mariposa lily.

<i>Calochortus kennedyi</i>

Calochortus kennedyi is a North American species of flowering plant in the lily family known by the common name desert mariposa lily.

<i>Calochortus leichtlinii</i>

Calochortus leichtlinii is a species of flowering plant in the lily family known by the common names Leichtlin's mariposa, smokey mariposa, and mariposa lily.

<i>Calochortus minimus</i> Species of flower

Calochortus minimus is a California species of flowering plants in the lily family known by the common name Sierra mariposa lily.

Calochortus monanthus is a presumed extinct North American species of flowering plant in the lily family known by the common names single-flowered mariposa lily and Shasta River mariposa lily. It was endemic to northern California.

<i>Calochortus nudus</i>

Calochortus nudus is a North American species of flowering plant in the lily family known by the common name naked mariposa lily.

<i>Calochortus obispoensis</i>

Calochortus obispoensis is a rare California species of flowering plants in the lily family known by the common name San Luis mariposa lily. It is endemic to San Luis Obispo County, California, where it grows in the chaparral of the coastal mountains, generally on serpentine soils.

<i>Calochortus palmeri</i>

Calochortus palmeri is a species of flowering plant in the lily family known by the common names Palmer's mariposa lily and strangling mariposa.

<i>Calochortus panamintensis</i>

Calochortus panamintensis is a rare North American species of flowering plants in the lily family known by the common name Panamint mariposa lily. It is native to Inyo and Kern Counties in California, plus adjacent Nye County, Nevada. It is named after the Panamint Range near Death Valley.

<i>Calochortus uniflorus</i>

Calochortus uniflorus is a species of flowering plant in the lily family known by the common names Monterey mariposa lily and large-flowered star-tulip. It is native to western Oregon and to California as far south as San Luis Obispo County. It grows in moist areas, such as meadows, in coastal hills and lower-elevation mountains. Most of the populations are found in the Coast Ranges, but some occur in the Cascades and in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada.

<i>Calochortus vestae</i>

Calochortus vestae is a California species of flowering plants in the lily family known by the common name coast range mariposa lily. It is grows primarily in the forests of the North Coast Ranges of California, with additional populations in the southernmost Cascades in Shasta County and also in foothills of the Sierra Nevada. It generally grows in clay soils.

<i>Calochortus weedii</i>

Calochortus weedii is a North American species of flowering plants in the lily family known by the common name Weed's mariposa lily.

<i>Calochortus fimbriatus</i>

Calochortus fimbriatus is a California species of flowering plant in the lily family known by the common name late-blooming mariposa lily. It is native to the coastal mountain ranges of southern Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and northern Ventura counties, where it is a member of the chaparral flora.

<i>Calochortus coxii</i>

Calochortus coxii is a rare species of flowering plant in the lily family known by the common names Cox's mariposa lily and crinite mariposa lily. It is endemic to Oregon in the United States, where it is known only from Douglas County.

<i>Calochortus longibarbatus</i>

Calochortus longibarbatus is a species of flowering plant in the lily family with the common names long-haired star-tulip and longbeard mariposa lily. It is native to Oregon, Washington, and northern California, where it grows in the forest and woodlands of the mountains.

References