Kingdom: Plantae

Phylum: Magnoliophyta

Class: Liliopsida

Order: Liliales

Family: Liliaceae

Variety: The Palouse phase is var. elegans

Common Name: elegant sego lily, elegant mariposa lily, cat’s ear

Species Code: CAEL

Origin: The Palouse phase, var. elegans, is native to grasslands and open woods of northeast Oregon, southwest Washington, and lower elevations of northern Idaho.

Rare: no

Form: forb, perennial from an ovoid bulb, 5-15 cm tall, erect, scapiform.

Duration: perennial

Habitat Type: prairie, shrub thickets, forest

Wetland Indicator Status: not listed

Leaves: usually 1, flat, narrowly lanceolate, 8-20 cm long and 2-10 cm wide.

Mature height: 2-6 inches

Flowers: solitary or 2-5 in a cyme with ascending pedicles; sepals shorter than petals, lanceolate, greenish or purple; petals oblanceolate to obovate, very hairy on the inner surface, white to greenish white with a purple crescent at the base.

Flower color: white

Bloom: May, June

Bloom starts on: mid May

Bloom ends on: late June

Fruit: capsule, winged, triangular in cross section, elliptical to orbicular, 1.5-2 cm long, nodding; seeds light brown.

Characteristics:
Reproduces by seed.
Calochortus spp. are notoriously difficult to grow and transplanted bulbs do not survive (Kruckeberg 1996).
Bulbs collected in the wild seldom survive more than a few years (Hitchcock et al 1969).
Perennating organ is a bulb.
2n=20.
Flowers are perfect.
Bulbs are edible.
Fruit is a capsule.

Sun requirement: full to partial sun

Soil moisture: mesic

Sowing time: fall

Transplant time: Calochortus spp. do not transplant well. Seed should be sown in place.

Stratification: extended cold moist

Seed yield: low

Seed harvest: medium difficulty

Seed first harvest: no information available

Seed cleaning: no information available

Planting duration: no information available

Seed size: medium

Seed harvest date: no information available

Herbaria: Specimen data and digital resources from The Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria

Key words: native upland forb

Propagation:
Germinates best with 120 days cold moist stratification in the dark. Germinates during stratification (Nauman 2002).
Propagates freely from seed but bulbs collected in the wild seldom survive more than a few years (Hitchcock et al 1969).
Calochortus spp. are notoriously difficult to grow and transplanted bulbs do not survive. The taller inland species may establish from seed sown on site (Kruckeberg 1996).

Notes: Calochortus elegans has a great flower but is easy to overlook because it is so short. Must be grown from seed planted on site. Bulbs do not survive transplanting. Enjoy it where it grows and do not attempt to move it. Common names include elegant sego lily, elegant mariposa lily, elegant star tulip, hairy cat’s ear (Skinner et al 2005).

References:
Chapman, Diana. 2000. Calochortus: Treasures of the American West. Bulbs: An International Bulb Society Quarterly 2:10-16.

Chapman, Diana. 2000. Starting with Seed. Bulbs: An International Bulb Society Quarterly 2:6-7.

Fiedler, Peggy Lee. 1987. Life History and Population Dynamics of Rare and Common Mariposa Lilies (Calochortus Pursh: Liliaceae). Journal. of Ecology 75: 977-995.

Hitchcock, C. Leo, Arthur Cronquist, Marion Ownbey, and J.W. Thompson. 1969. Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press. Seattle, WA. 5 vol.

Kruckeberg, Arthur R. 1996. Gardening with Native Plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press. Seattle, WA.

McDonald, Hugh P., and Karin R. Stokkink. 1995. Magnificent Mariposas. American Horticulturalist 74(Dec):31-36.

Nauman, C. 2002. Germination of 12 Palouse Prairie forbs after stratification under light and dark treatments. M.S. Thesis, University of Idaho, Moscow ID.

Skinner, David M., Paul Warnick, Bill French, and Mary Fauci. 2005. More Palouse Forbs for Landscaping. USDA NRCS Pullman Plant Materials Center and Palouse Prairie Foundation. Online at http://www.wsu.edu/pmc_nrcs/Docs/More_Forbs_for_Landscaping.pdf

Links:
Plant Profile from the USDA PLANTS Database
Species description from Flora of North America
Species information from the University of Washington Herbarium