Gunnison's Mariposa Lily
Calochortus gunnisonii
Gunnison's Mariposa Lily (Calochortus gunnisonii) is a native perennial grown from a bulb, 24 to 55 cm (9 to 22 inches) tall, with open, bell-shaped white to purple flowers marked inside by a broad band of yellow hairs above an oblong gland. It blooms June into August in the Black Hills, and in the Rockies it grows in meadows and forest clearings from the foothills up. Photographed in the Black Hills.
Free photos from other sources
| Family | Liliaceae · Lily |
|---|---|
| Status | Native perennial |
| Blooms | June into August |
| Height | 24–55 cm (9–22 in) |
| Where | Meadows and forest clearings, foothills to high mountains |
| Also called | Gunnison's Sego Lily |
Roots, seeds & germination
Root: Usually grows from a bulb with a thin, papery coat.
Seed: An erect, narrow, three-angled capsule, 3–6 cm long, with flat seeds.
How do you identify Gunnison's Mariposa Lily?
Look inside the petal: a broad band of yellow hairs sits above an oblong gland, and the gland itself is thick with hairs. Sego Lily has a round gland with a broken maroon band above it. Gunnison's can also have a narrow purple band above the gland and a purple blotch at the petal's narrow base, so check the hairs and the gland shape.
When does it bloom?
June into August.
Where does it grow?
A National Park Service wildflower list includes it in the Black Hills. Elsewhere it grows in meadows, forest clearings, foothills and mountainsides, up to subalpine meadows. Kew and the Wildflower Center list it for South Dakota and Wyoming.
Other flowers to compare
Sources: National Park Service, Jewel Cave National Monument: Wildflowers; Flora of North America: Calochortus gunnisonii; Southwest Colorado Wildflowers: Calochortus; Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Calochortus gunnisonii; Kew Plants of the World Online: Calochortus gunnisonii; The American Southwest: Calochortus gunnisonii; South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks: Rare Plants of South Dakota; Native Plant Society of New Mexico: Calochortus gunnisonii.