Planting and Growing the Sagebrush Mariposa Lily

Also known as the bigpod mariposa, the sagebrush mariposa lily is from the lily family of plants. It is native to the United States and is botanically known as Calochortus macrocarpus.

Sagebrush Mariposa Lily Description

This perennial grows 8 to 20 inches high with stout stems and showy flowers. There are usually one to three bell-like flowers on top of a stem. Stems are usually unbranched. Blooms are lilac, with a bloom season of July and August. There is a central green stripe on the petals of the flowers. It has grass-like green leaves.

Growing Guide

This perennial flowering plant prefers to grow in partial shade and in dry soils. Propagate by seed or corms. Seed should be done in pots in the late fall. Corms will be mature in three to five years. Seed can be improved by five to six weeks of stratification.

Distribution

This native plant is found in the states of California, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington. It is seen in dry plains and the sagebrush slopes.

Food Use

Indigenous people used the bulb of the sagebrush mariposa lily as a food source.

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 macrocarpus Douglas- sagebrush mariposa lily

Source: NPIN, PlantsDatabase