Stats

Lifespan: Perennial
Size: Medium
Diet: Photosynthetic
Biome: Mediterranean shrubland
Range: North America
Movement: Sessile
Breeding: Bulbs
Defense: Toxins
Status: G3

About

Plummer's Mariposa Lily is a native California wildflower that blooms from May to July in chaparral and coastal sage scrub. Its three large bowl-shaped petals are pale pink to lavender, each marked with a deep purple chevron and a patch of golden hairs at the base — an intricate landing signal for pollinating bees.

Life cycle

1.
seed
A dormant seed waits for water and warmth before germinating.
2.
sprout
A first shoot emerges with cotyledon leaves and a tap root reaching down.
3.
sapling
A young plant grows true leaves and a stem or trunk, putting on height each season.
4.
mature
Fully grown, flowering or fruiting at adult size.

Learn more

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Class: Liliopsida
Order: Liliales
Family: Liliaceae
Genus: Calochortus
Species: Calochortus plummerae