XCalochortus macrocarpus - Sagebrush Mariposa LilyX
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Sagebrush Mariposa Lily -or- Bigpod Mariposa (Calochortus macrocarpus), family Liliaceae (Lily)
Thank you BOB BAGLEY, for your contribution of these images!! The flowers of this plant can only be described as stunning! Bob emailed us recently wondering about the plants. He and his family were enchanted with the bloom, found during a family vacation at the Steamboat Rock State Park in Eastern Washington State. This brought a bit of nostalgia for us, along with the delight in a beautiful flower. We enjoyed a family gathering some years back at that same park. This species was one of many collected on the Lewis and Clark expedition. The perennial herb is one of about 70 species in the genus, part of whose name means beautiful grass in Greek. Mariposa, in Spanish, means butterfly. Bob did a good job in showing two differing blossoms from this plant. Per the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower website about this species: 'One of the most frequent Mariposa Tulips in the arid Northwest. A white phase with a reddish stripe on each petal occurs in southeastern Washington and adjacent west-central Idaho.' The Burke Museum of University of Washington lists this species as native to Washington state (among probably others) and abundant and of no concern.
USES: This species is edible in a few different forms and were used by Native Americans for food and in other ways: Okanagan-Colville - Poultice of mashed bulbs applied to the skin for poison ivy. Bulbs eaten raw or pit cooked with other roots. Roots used as a principle food. Corms formerly cooked and used for food. Sweet flower buds used for food. Klamath - Species used for food. Thompson - Mashed bulbs placed in cheesecloth and used for the eyes. Corms formerly cooked and used for food. Sweet flower buds used for food. Coated, starchy corms used for food. Sweet buds eaten. Unopened flowers eaten raw. Corms used for food, usually raw, but sometimes cooked. Shuswap Food - Plant eaten by cattle and sheep. Paiute - Bulbs eaten raw, boiled or roasted.
FunFact: Miller, Allen and Antos, in the Canadian Journal of Botany: 1790-1799 (2004), observed that individual plants of Calochortus macrocarpus can remain dormant for a period of one to four years. This seems to be a strategy by the plant to avoid unfavourable environmental conditions in a particular year, allowing it to instead grow within an environmental regime that is more favourable to eventual reproduction.
There are two listed varieties of Calochortus macrocarpus: maculosus and macrocarpus. The presence of Maculosus is classed in sensitive status in Washington state. This could be due to the fact that grazing cattle find the bulbs of the plants (all types) appetizing, and also from possible over-collecting of the bulbs of the plants by people, which kills it. This gorgeous plant can be found from commercial sources if it is wanted for a cultivated garden or to grow for food.
Flower -
Plant location: Steamboat Rock State Park in Eastern Washington State, on June 26, 2010. The exotic looking blooms are found in realtively few of the United States: California, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington. They also can be found in a small area of British Columbia Canada. Habitats are commonly dry plains, sagebrush slopes, and at elevations of about 4000-6000 ft. That is Steamboat Rock in the background :). Bob photographed the plant with a Canon EOS REBEL XTi.Plant -
Bloom season: June through August, depending on location and conditions; dry, usually volcanic, soils.Foliage -
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