Perianth bell-shaped, sepals yellow-green underneath; petals white or tinged lilac; occasionally spotted with purple below the nectary.  Petals sparsely short-hairy near the small round nectary, which is sometimes depressed and encircled by a fringed membrane, and is densely short-branched-hairy.  Anthers purple or yellow.  Ramona Trail near Idyllwild, San Jacinto Mountains, Riverside Co., CA. 5-31-10. © Joan Avise.

Plain Mariposa Lily (Shy Mariposa Lily)

Calochortus invenustus

Uncommon on dry slopes and mountain summits, often in rocky soils, openings in chaparral; Santa Ana Mountains, on Modjeska and Santiago Peaks (Roberts). Grows in coniferous forests, on granitic soils (JM2). Fruit erect, linear, 2-3 in. long, angled with a long tapered tip. Flowering: May - August. 

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Santiago Peak, Cleveland National Forest, Orange County, CA. 6-10-12. © Ron Vanderhoff

Santiago Peak, Cleveland National Forest, Orange County, CA. 6-10-12. © Ron Vanderhoff

Modjeska Peak, Cleveland National Forest, Orange County, CA. 6-10-12. © Ron Vanderhoff

Santiago Peak, Cleveland National Forest, Orange County, CA. 6-10-12. © Ron Vanderhoff

Slender mostly unbranched stem up to 20 in. tall.  The basal leaves up to 8 in. long are channeled, and wither at flowering; bulblets present in lower leaf axils; upper leaves inrolled, reduced. Inflorescence with 2 in. long bracts, 1 to 6 flowers. Ramona Trail near Idyllwild, San Jacinto Mountains, Riverside Co., CA. 5-31-10. © Joan Avise.

Calochortus splendens (L), C. invenustus (R), Santiago Peak, Cleveland National Forest, Orange County, CA. 6-10-12. © Ron Vanderhoff


Modjeska Peak, Cleveland National Forest, Orange County, CA. 6-10-12. © Ron Vanderhoff

Petals green striped below. Modjeska Peak, Cleveland National Forest, Orange County, CA. 6-10-12. © Ron Vanderhoff