Late-blooming Mariposa Lily

Calochortus fimbriatus is a bulb-forming perennial herb producing a slender, branching stem 30 to 110 centimeters tall. There is a basal leaf up to 40 centimeters long which appears in January and withers long before the plant blooms in late June or early July. The bloom continues until mid-August. The inflorescence consists of 2 to 6 erect, bowl-shaped flowers. Each flower has three narrow sepals and three wider petals. The petals are usually tan or cream colored on the outside and yellowish on the inside with variable number of flecks of dark purple, and a coating of hairs on the inner surface and top rim. The fruit is a three-angled capsule. Calochortus fimbriatus blooms more vigorously the year after a wildfire.