[The Genus Calochortus East of
the Cascade Mts.]
Bigpod Mariposa, Big-pod Mariposa Lily, White Mariposa Lily, Wide-fruit Mariposa, Wide-fruited Mariposa, Wing-fruited Mariposa Lily
Calochortus eurycarpus
Synonyms: Calochortus euumbellatus, Calochortus nitidus, Calochortus nitidus var. eurycarpus, Calochortus parviflorus
The photo above shows a close-up of the attractive flower of big-pod lily as seen in meadows along Hat Pt. Road near Granny View in the Hells Canyon NRA.....................June 28, 2007. Note the broad central transverse, green spot which runs much of the length of the petal.
Characteristics:
Big-pod mariposa lily is a beautiful wildflower with a single
erect stem arising to 50 cm tall from a deep seated, tunicated bulb.
A single bract-like leaf is found about midway up the stem.
The basal leaf is flat, and may be as much as 30 cm long, and 5-25 mm wide.
The venation is parallel, and the leaf has a grass-like shape, although tapering
to both ends.
The inflorescence is one to five flowered, with the showy flowers
being held erect. The three creamy white petals (they could be a light lavendar
too) have a noticeable red-puple blotch at mid petal. The individual petals
are obovate to rounded in shape. The sepals are green, ovate to lanceolate in
shape, with a pointed tip. The sepals are shorter than the petals.
Although it is a beautiful wildflower, the big-pod mariposa
lily should not be dug to bring home. The bulb is found deep underground, there
is a great danger of damaging it, and mariposa lilies tend not to survive well
in gardens. Instead, leave it alone and enjoy the beauty it adds to nature.
Habitat:
Big-pod mariposa lily is wildflower of grasslands and open coniferous
forests.
Range:
Big-pod marioposa lily is found from the Blue and Wallowa Mts
of northeast Oregon and southeast Washington, eastward across central Idaho
to southwestern Montana and western Wyoming.
The photo above shows a close-up of a flower of big-pod lily as seen in meadows along Hat Pt. Road near Granny View in the Hells Canyon NRA.....................June 28, 2007. Note the broad sepals which are shorter than the petals.
This photo shows a close-up view of the inner petal surface of big-pod mariposa lily. Note the slender stamens, tri-lobed stigma, and crescent-shaped, orangish-yellow gland on the lower petal. Photographed along forest road #4304 west of Anatone, WA in the Umatilla N.F...................July 6, 2008.
The photo above shows the form of big-pod mariposa lily as photographed along forest road #4304 west of Anatone, WA in the Umatilla N.F...................July 6, 2008.
This photo shows a close-up sideview of a petal and the slender, greenish sepals of big-pod mariposa lily as photographed along forest road #4304 west of Anatone, WA in the Umatilla N.F...................July 6, 2008. The similar Calochortus macrocarpus var. maculosus which is in the region has whiter petals and narrow sepals which are longer than the petals.
The photo above shows a close-up view of the broad basal leaf of big-pod lily as seen in meadows along Hat Pt. Road near Granny View in the Hells Canyon NRA.....................June 28, 2007. The basal leaf of this species is much shorter than the floral stem.
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Additional photos of bigpod mariposa as seen along Forest Service Road #1647 in southeastern Logan Valley, Malheur National Forest..............July 18, 2010. The flowers at this site range from white to pink and lavender.
Paul Slichter