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Montana Field Guides

Nuttall's Mariposa Lily - Calochortus nuttallii

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Native Species

Global Rank: G5
State Rank: S4
C-value:


Agency Status
USFWS:
USFS:
BLM:


 

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General Description
Stem 10–40 cm. Leaf blade linear, 1–3 mm wide. Bracts 2–8 cm long. Flowers 1 to 4; sepals 2–3 cm long, greenish; petals white, purple-tinged, yellow at the base, 3–5 cm long; inner surface nearly glabrous, with a purple, crescent-shaped mark above the circular, fringed gland; anthers oblong. Capsule spindle-shaped, erect, 3–6 cm long (Lesica et al. 2012. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants. BRIT Press. Fort Worth, TX).

Diagnostic Characteristics
Nuttall's Mariposa Lily - Calochortus nuttallii
*Basal Leaf: Channeled, similar in width, but shorter than stem leaves.
*Anthers: Oblong.
*Sepals: Longer or shorter than petals.
*Petals: White to purple tinged, yellow at the base. Lacking a green stripe on the outside. Bearded on the inside, adjacent to gland. Tip apiculate.

Bruneau Mariposa Lily - Calochortus bruneaunis, SOC
*Basal Leaf: Channeled, similar in width, but shorter than stem leaves.
*Anthers: Oblong.
*Sepals: Usually shorter than petals.
*Petals: White. Green striped on the outside. Nearly hairless on the inside (glabrate) near gland. Tip apiculate.

Green-band Mariposa Lily - Calochortus macrocarpus
*Basal Leaf: Channeled, similar in width, but shorter than stem leaves.
*Anthers: Lanceoloid (round in cross-section; wider from base to below middle then tapering to the tip).
*Sepals: Usually longer than petals.
*Petals: Purple. Green striped on the outside. Tip acuminate.

Gunnison's Mariposa Lily - Calochortus gunnisonii
*Basal Leaf: Channeled, similar in width, but shorter than stem leaves.
*Anthers: Apiculate (short, sharp tip).
*Sepals: Usually shorter than petals.
*Petals: White or yellowish to purple; greenish inside and sometimes purple-banded or -spotted next to gland. Green stripe absent on the outside. Tip not acuminate.

The following Mariposa Lilies differ from those above in that their basal leaves are flat, much wider than the stem leaves, and often more than half as long as the stem leaves:

Baker Mariposa Lily - Calochortus apiculatus
Elegant Mariposa Lily - Calochortus elegans
Big-pod Mariposa Lily - Calochortus eurycarpus

Species Range
Montana Range Range Descriptions

Native
 


Range Comments
MT, ND south to CA, AZ and CO (Lesica et al. 2012. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants. BRIT Press. Fort Worth, TX).

Observations in Montana Natural Heritage Program Database
Number of Observations: 454

(Click on the following maps and charts to see full sized version) Map Help and Descriptions
Relative Density

Recency

 

(Observations spanning multiple months or years are excluded from time charts)



Habitat
Grasslands, sagebrush steppe, open forest, woodlands; plains, valleys (Lesica et al. 2012. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants. BRIT Press. Fort Worth, TX).


References
  • Literature Cited AboveLegend:   View Online Publication
    • Lesica, P., M.T. Lavin, and P.F. Stickney. 2012. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants. Fort Worth, TX: BRIT Press. viii + 771 p.
  • Additional ReferencesLegend:   View Online Publication
    Do you know of a citation we're missing?
    • Anderson, N.L. 1951. Field studies on the biology of range grasshoppers of southeastern Montana. M.Sc. Thesis. Bozeman, Montana: Montana State University. 96 p.
    • Culver, D.R. 1994. Floristic analysis of the Centennial Region, Montana. M.Sc. Thesis. Montana State University, Bozeman. 199 pp.
    • Fritzen, D.E. 1995. Ecology and behavior of Mule Deer on the Rosebud Coal Mine, Montana. Ph.D. Dissertation. Bozeman, MT: Montana State University. 143 p.
    • Harvey, S.J. 1990. Responses of steppe plants to gradients of water soil texture and disturbance in Montana, U.S.A. Ph.D. Thesis. Bozeman, MT: Montana State University. 34 p.
    • King, L.A. 1980. Effects of topsoiling and other reclamation practices on nonseeded species establishment on surface mined land at Colstrip, Montana. M.Sc. Thesis. Bozeman, MT: Montana State University. 129 p.
    • Lesica, P., M.T. Lavin, and P.F. Stickney. 2022. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants, Second Edition. Fort Worth, TX: BRIT Press. viii + 779 p.
    • Mussgnug, G.L. 1972. The structure and performance of an adult population of Aulocara elliotti (Thomas) (Orthoptera, Acrididae) near Billings, Montana. M.Sc. Thesis. Bozeman, MT: Montana State University. 97 p.
    • Quire, R.L. 2013. The sagebrush steppe of Montana and southeastern Idaho shows evidence of high native plant diversity, stability, and resistance to the detrimental effects of nonnative plant species. M.Sc. Thesis. Bozeman, MT: Montana State University. 124 p.
    • Seipel, T.F. 2006. Plant species diversity in the sagebrush steppe of Montana. M.Sc. Thesis. Bozeman, MT: Montana State University. 87 p.
    • Skilbred, Chester L. 1979. Plant succession on five naturally revegetated strip-mined deposits at Colstrip, Montana. M.Sc. Thesis. Bozeman, MT: Montana State University. 128 pp.
    • Tuinstra, K. E. 1967. Vegetation of the floodplains and first terraces of Rock Creek near Red Lodge, Montana. Ph.D dissertation. Montana State University, Bozeman 110 pp.
  • Web Search Engines for Articles on "Nuttall's Mariposa Lily"
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Citation for data on this website:
Nuttall's Mariposa Lily — Calochortus nuttallii.  Montana Field Guide.  .  Retrieved on , from