Calochortus weedii is a North American species of flowering plants in the lily family known by the common name Weed's mariposa lily.[1] [2] [3]
It is native to the Outer Southern California Coast Ranges and the Transverse Ranges in Southern California, and the Peninsular Ranges in Southern California and Baja California. It is a member of the chaparral flora. Most of the California locales occur between Santa Barbara County and San Diego County, but there is a report of an isolated population along Salmon Creek in southern Monterey County.[4]
Calochortus weedii is a perennial herb producing a slender, branching stem 30 to 90 centimeters tall.
There is a basal leaf up to 40 centimeters long which withers by the time the plant blooms.
The inflorescence bears 2 to 6 erect, widely bell-shaped to spreading flowers. Each flower has three narrow sepals and three wider and sometimes shorter petals, each segment up to 3 centimeters long. The petals are oval or wedge-shaped and may be any of a variety of colors, from cream to deep yellow to reddish purple. The petals often have reddish brown borders and flecks, and a coating of hairs on the inner surface.[5]
The fruit is an angled capsule 4 to 5 centimeters long.[5]
Three taxa once considered varieties of Calochortus weedii are now generally classified as distinct species: