Calochortus flexuosus (Bent-Stem Mariposa)

Interesting Facts

Common Names

Common Names in English:

Bent-Stem Mariposa, Straggling Mariposa Lily, Twining Mariposa, Weak-Stemmed Mariposa Lily, Weakstem Mariposa Lily, Winding Mariposa, Winding Mariposa Lily

Description

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Family Liliaceae

Herbs perennial , with a rhizome, bulb, or corm, rarely shrubby or treelike. Leaves basal and/or cauline, alternate, opposite, or whorled , parallel or rarely reticulate veined. Inflorescence a raceme , panicle, spike, umbel, reduced panicle, or other, or flowers solitary. Flowers bisexual , rarely unisexual , actinomorphic , rarely zygomorphic; bracts present or absent; bracteoles present or absent. Perianth usually corollalike, 6-merous, rarely 4- or 8-merous, in 2 whorls; segments free (tepals) or united . Stamens 6, rarely 3, 4, or 8, inserted opposite perianth segments; filaments free or adnate to perianth, rarely connate into a corona ; anthers usually 2-loculed, basifixed or dorsifixed and versatile, introrse , latrorse , or extrorse , dehiscing usually by vertical slits. Carpels usually connate for most or all of their length , rarely only at base ; ovary superior, rarely semi-inferior, 3-loculed, rarely 2- or 4-loculed, with axile placentae, or rarely 1-loculed with a parietal placenta; ovules usually anatropous . Nectaries septal, perigonal, or absent. Fruit a capsule or berry. Seeds with abundant endosperm and small embryo.

About 250 genera and 3500 species: worldwide, especially in temperate and subtropical regions; 57 genera (three endemic, two introduced ) and 726 species (379 endemic, 11 introduced) in China.[1]

Genus Calochortus

Herbs, perennial , sometimes from bulbs; bulb coat membranous or fibrous-reticulate. Stems scapelike or leafy, simple or branched, glabrous , often glaucous; bulblets sometimes borne in leaf axils . Leaves sessile; basal persistent or withering by flowering, solitary, blade base sometimes attenuate and petiolelike; cauline 0-several, sometimes proximalmost appearing as basal, reduced. Inflorescences monochasiate or ± umbellate , 1-many-flowered, bracteate . Flowers: perianth globose to broadly campanulate ; sepals 3, distinct , ovate to lanceolate, usually petaloid and glabrous; petals 3, distinct, usually longer and broader than sepals, sometimes clawed, usually hairy adaxially, bearing adaxial gland near base, often spotted to ± patterned; filaments widened at base; anthers usually basifixed or pseudobasifixed, linear to oblong ; ovary superior; style absent; stigmas 3. Fruits capsular , 3-locular, 3-angled or -winged, linear, oblong, or globular , dehiscence septicidal . Seeds many, in 2 rows per locule, irregular or flat, coat usually hexagonally reticulate .

Species ca. 70: w North America, Central America.

Many species of Calochortus are in cultivation. Bulbs of some species were eaten by Native Americans. Petal shape, gland shape, and pubescence are exceedingly variable in many taxa but often are important in identifying species.

As part of a phylogenetic analysis of relationships within the Liliales, T. B . Patterson (1998) studied variation in noncoding cpDNA sequences throughout Calochortus. He resolved seven main clades that are geographically and ecologically strongly cohesive, including the mariposas of dry grasslands and semideserts, the star-tulips of wet meadows, the cat's ears of montane woodlands, and the fairy lanterns of closed forests . Patterson suggested that this pattern of relationships is the result of highly localized speciation within the genus.[2]

Physical Description

Species Calochortus flexuosus

Plants rarely bulbose ; bulb coat , when present, membranous. Stems twining or straggling over ground , branching, 1-2 dm, usually sinuous . Leaves: basal, withering; blade linear , attenuate. Inflorescences 1-4-flowered; bracts 1-3 cm. Flowers erect ; perianth open, campanulate , each member with transverse yellow band ; sepals lanceolate to lanceolate-ovate, 2-3 cm; petals white with lilac tinge, darker veined, especially distally, sometimes with purple blotch distal to gland , obovate to cuneate, 3-4 cm, with sparse or dense, short or long hairs near gland, apex rounded ; glands transverse-lunate or wider, densely short-hairy; filaments 6-10 mm; anthers oblong , 5-7 mm, apex obtuse or acute. Capsules erect, lanceoloid, angled , stout, 3-4 cm. Seeds light beige, flat. 2n = 14. [source]

Habit: Vine , Forb/herb

Flowers: Bloom Period: February, March, April. • Flower Color: lavender, near white, violet, white, yellow

Size/Age/Growth

Size: under 6" tall.

Habitat

Dry stony slopes , desert hills , mesas, creosote bush scrub , sagebrush scrub; 500--2000 m [3].

Biology

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Reproduction

Duration: Perennial

Growth

Culture: Space 3-6" apart.

Soil: Minimum pH: 6.6 • Maximum pH: 9.0

Sunlight: Sun Exposure: Full Sun .

Moisture: Drought Tolerance: High

Temperature: Cold Hardiness: 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b. (map)

Taxonomy

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Domain: Eukaryota () - Whittaker & Margulis,1978 - eukaryotes
- Kingdom: Plantae () - Haeckel, 1866 - Plants
  - Subkingdom: Viridaeplantae () - Cavalier-Smith, 1981
    - Phylum: Tracheophyta () - Sinnott, 1935 ex Cavalier-Smith, 1998 - Vascular Plants
      - Subphylum: Euphyllophytina ()
        Infraphylum: Radiatopses () - Kenrick & Crane, 1997
        Class: Spermatopsida () - Brongniart, 1843
        Subclass: Liliidae () - Takhtajan, 1967
        Superorder: Lilianae () - Takhtajan, 1967
        Order: Liliales () - Perleb, 1826
        Family: Liliaceae () - A.L. de Jussieu, 1789, nom. cons. - Lily Family
        Subfamily: Calochortoideae ()
        Genus: Calochortus () - Pursh, 1813 - [Greek kalos, beautiful, and chortos, grass]
        Subgenus: nom ()
        Specific epithet: flexuosus - S.Watson
        Botanical name: - Calochortus flexuosus S.Watson

Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name .

Last scrutiny: 06-Jan-2005

Similar Species

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Members of the genus Calochortus

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 109 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus. Here are just 100 of them:

More Info

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Notes

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Contributors

Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-present. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Zwaag, The Netherlands. Accessed January 10, 2012.

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal November 19, 2007:

School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Arizona State University Vascular Plant Herbarium
School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, The Deaver Herbarium, Northern Arizona University
USDA PLANTS, USDA PLANTS Database
Utah State University, USU-UTC Specimen Database
Utah Valley State College
, Utah Valley State College Herbarium

Identifiers

Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 2662495
Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: Kew-301685
Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 13754681
Globally Unique Identifier: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:532405-1
GRIN Nomen Number: 448096
Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) Taxonomic Serial Number (TSN): 42848
International Plant Names Index (IPNI) ID: 532405-1
Natural Heritage Network Species Identifier: PMLIL0D0G0
U.S.D.A. Plant Symbol: CAFL
Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 25783

Footnotes

Xinqi Chen, Prof. Song-Yun Liang, Jie-mei Xu, David E. Boufford, Michael G. Gilbert, Rudolf V. Kamelin, Shoichi Kawano, Tetsuo Koyama, Elena V. Mordak, Junko Noguchi, Victor G. Soukup, Hiroshi Takahashi, Kamilla G. Tamanian, Minoru N. Tamura & Nicholas J. Turland "Liliaceae". in Flora of China Vol. 24 Page 73. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
P. L. Fiedler & R. K. Zebell "Calochortus". in Flora of North America Vol. 26 Page 15, 51, 57, 119. Oxford University Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
"Calochortus flexuosus". in Flora of North America Vol. 26 Page 122, 130, 131. Oxford University Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]

Calochortus flexuosus

Interesting Facts

Common Names

Description

Family Liliaceae

Genus Calochortus

Physical Description

Species Calochortus flexuosus

Size/Age/Growth

Habitat

Biology

Reproduction

Growth

Taxonomy

Notes

Similar Species

Members of the genus Calochortus

More Info

Further Reading

Notes

Contributors

Data Sources

Identifiers

Footnotes