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Taxon  Report  
Calochortus obispoensis  Lemmon
San luis mariposa lily
Calochortus obispoensis is a perennial herb (bulb) that is native to California, and endemic (limited) to California.
California Rare Plant Rank: 1B.2 (rare, threatened, or endangered in CA and elsewhere).
Siskiyou Del Norte Modoc Humboldt Shasta Lassen Trinity Plumas Tehama Butte Mendocino Glenn Sierra Yuba Lake Nevada Colusa Placer Sutter El Dorado Yolo Alpine Napa Sonoma Sacramento Mono Amador Solano Calaveras Tuolumne San Joaquin Marin Contra Costa Alameda Santa Cruz Mariposa Madera San Francisco San Mateo Merced Fresno Stanislaus Santa Clara Inyo San Benito Tulare Kings Monterey San Bernardino San Luis Obispo Kern Santa Barbara Ventura Los Angeles Riverside Orange San Diego Imperial
Observation Search
~175 records in California
yellowone or more occurrences
within a 7.5-minute quadrangle
DJJJASONAFMM

Bloom Period
Genus: Calochortus
Family: Liliaceae  
Category: angiosperm  
PLANTS group:Monocot
Jepson eFlora section: monocot

Ultramafic affinity: 5.4 - broad endemic

Communities: Coastal Sage Scrub, Chaparral, Valley Grassland

Name Status:
Accepted by JEF + CNPS + PLANTS

Information about  Calochortus obispoensis from other sources
Nursery availability from CNPLX
This plant is available commercially.
Jepson eFlora

USDA PLANTS Profile (CAOB)

Photos on Calflora

Photos on CalPhotos

Google Images

Photos on iNaturalist

ID Tips on PlantID.net

[Wikipedia] Description, Range, Rarity: Calochortus obispoensis is a rare California species of flowering plants in the lily family known by the common name San Luis mariposa lily. It is endemic to San Luis Obispo County, California, where it grows in the chaparral of the coastal mountains, generally on serpentine soils.[3][4] Description Calochortus obispoensis is a perennial herb producing a slender, branched stem up to 60 centimeters tall. The basal leaf is 20 to 30 centimeters in length and withers at flowering. There may be smaller leaves located along the stem.[5] The inflorescence bears 2 to 6 erect flowers. Each spreading flower has three reflexed sepals up to 3 centimeters long and three flat petals each up to 2 centimeters long. The petals are yellow or orange in color with darker tips and fringed and coated in long, dark purple or red hairs. The fruit is an angled capsule up to 4 centimeters long which contains translucent yellow seeds.[5] (contributed by Mary Ann Machi)


Suggested Citation
Calflora: Information on California plants for education, research and conservation, with data contributed by public and private institutions and individuals. [web application]. 2024. Berkeley, California: The Calflora Database [a non-profit organization]. Available: https://www.calflora.org/   (Accessed: 04/28/2024).