Doubting Mariposa Lily
Calochortus ambiguus
Found on a rocky slope adjacent to Peppersauce Canyon, Sta. Catalina Mts., Pinal Co., Arizona. April 2012.
FLOWERS: Distinctive spring flowers of three, bed-linen white petals,
six red-purplish stamens and intricate ring of purple and yellow hairs about
the center.
LEAVES: The leaves are narrow, grass-like and thickenened/succulent.
They are all at ground level.
RANGE: Several Mariposa Lilies are found across Arizona; this one is
found from the mountains north of Tucson and hence into southeastern Arizona.
Look for it on the slopes within canyons and on hillsides.
PERENNIAL HERB: Survives season to season within a subterranean bulb.
The whole mature plants are less than ¼ meter tall and appear in
spring. Before summer arrives the leaves are all withered.
FRUIT: Dry capsules with three segments and two rows of flat seeds in
each segment.
UNARMED