Calochortus elegans

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.[2][3] It is native to the western United States from northern California to Montana.[1][4]

"Cyclobothra elegans (Pursh) Benth." redirects here. It is not to be confused with Cyclobothra elegans Torr., an illegitimate name in synonymy with Calochortus coeruleus.

Calochortus elegans
Calochortus elegans in Wenatchee National Forest
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Liliales
Family: Liliaceae
Genus: Calochortus
Species:
C. elegans
Binomial name
Calochortus elegans
Pursh 1813 not Baker 1875
Synonyms[1]
  • Cyclobothra elegans (Pursh) Benth.
  • Calochortus nanus (Alph.Wood) Piper, syn of var. nanus
  • Calochortus selwayensis H.St.John, syn of var. selwayensis

It is a perennial herb producing a slender, generally unbranched stem up to 15 centimeters in height. The basal leaf is 10 to 20 centimeters long and does not wither at flowering. The inflorescence bears 1 to 7 erect bell-shaped flowers. Each flower has three sepals and three petals with very hairy inner surfaces and edges. Each petal is greenish white in color with a purple crescent above a hairless patch at the base. The fruit is a winged capsule about 2 centimeters long.[5]

The bulb is a choice wild root vegetable when eaten cooked, and can be eaten raw to avoid starvation.[6]

Varieties[1]
  • Calochortus elegans var. amoenus (Greene) auct.
  • Calochortus elegans var. amoenus hort.
  • Calochortus elegans var. elegans Pursh - Idaho, Oregon, Washington
  • Calochortus elegans var. lobbii Baker
  • Calochortus elegans var. major Hook.
  • Calochortus elegans var. minor Hook.
  • Calochortus elegans var. nanus Alph.Wood - Oregon, northern California
  • Calochortus elegans var. oreophilus Ownbey
  • Calochortus elegans var. selwayensis (H.St.John) Ownbey - Idaho, Montana
  • Calochortus elegans var. subclavatus Baker

References
  1. Kewe World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
  2. Jepson Manual Treatment of Calochortus elegans
  3. United States Department of Agriculture Plants Profile of Calochortus elegans
  4. Biota of North America Program 2014 county distribution map
  5. Flora of North America Vol. 26 Page 125 Cat’s ear, Calochortus elegans Pursh
  6. Reiner, Ralph E. (1969). Introducing the Flowering Beauty of Glacier National Park and the Majestic High Rockies. Glacier Park, Inc. p. 4.

Further reading
  • Calochortus elegans Hook.f. Bot. Mag. 98: t. 5976. 1872
  • Calochortus elegans Baker J. Linn. Soc., Bot. 14: 305. 1874 [1875 publ. 1874]
  • Calochortus elegans Pursh Fl. Amer. Sept. (Pursh) 1: 240. 1813 [Dec 1813]
  • Calochortus elegans Pursh Fl. Amer. Sept. (Pursh) 1: 240. 1813 [dt. 1814; issued Dec 1813]


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