Desert Mariposa Lily
Calochortus desertii
Found on a rocky slope adjacent to Cave Creek, Maricopa Co., Arizona. April 2013.
FLOWERS: Distinctive spring flowers of three, large, yellow or orange
petals, six purplish stamens and intricate ring of dark purple and red
hairs about the center. The flowers open with the morning sun, and are usually
wilted and closed up by early afternoon.
LEAVES: The leaves are narrow, grass-like and thickened/succulent.
They are all at ground level.
RANGE: Several Mariposa Lilies are found across Arizona; this one is
found from the mountains east and north from Tucson and Phoenix.
PERENNIAL HERB: Survives season to season within a subterranean bulb.
The whole mature plants are less than ¼ meter tall and appear in
spring. By summer there are no leaves present above ground.
FRUIT: Dry capsules with three segments and two rows of flat seeds in
each segment.
UNARMED