Plant Name
Scientific Name: Calochortus kennedyi
Common Name: Desert Mariposa Lily
Plant Characteristics
Duration: Perennial
Growth Habit: Herb/Forb
Arizona Native Status: Native
Habitat: Desert, Upland. Orange-flowered Desert Mariposa Lilies are most common in dry, rocky desert areas, while the yellow-flowered ones are typically found in grassy upland areas.
Flower Color: Brilliant orange, Yellow
Flowering Season: Spring. This beautiful wildflower blooms in March or April in years with sufficient winter rain.
Height: To 16 inches (41 cm) tall
Description: The flowers are up to 3 inches (7.6 cm) across and have three fan-shaped petals, each with with black or purple at the base. The leaves are grayish green, narrowly linear and grass-like with margins curled upward. The stems are slender and upright.
Special Characteristics
Legal Status – Protected Native Plant (Salvage Restricted)
Classification
Kingdom: Plantae – Plants
Subkingdom: Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
Superdivision: Spermatophyta – Seed plants
Division: Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class: Liliopsida – Monocotyledons
Subclass: Liliidae
Order: Liliales
Family: Liliaceae – Lily family
Genus: Calochortus Pursh – mariposa lily
Species: Calochortus kennedyi Porter – desert mariposa lily
More About This Plant