Calochortus venustus

Benth.

Butterfly mariposa lily, Star tulip

Liliaceae Edible: Root, Bulb 5,935 iNaturalist observations

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Summary

Calochortus venustus is a California species of flowering plants in the lily family known by the common name butterfly mariposa lily. It is a perennial herb that grows in grasslands and open wooded areas.

Description

A bulb plant. It grows 20-60 cm high and 8-10 cm wide. The leaves are oval to sword shaped. The flowers are cup-shaped. There can be 3 per stem. The flowers are erect on stems 60 cm long. They vary from white to yellow to red. There is a dark red blotch at the centre of the inner petals ringed with yellow. The flowers are 2.5-5 cm long.

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Root Edible Uses: Bulb - cooked. A sweet flavour.

Traditional Uses

The bulbs are cooked and eaten.

This uses section is brief — help expand it

Medicinal Uses

None known

Distribution

It is a temperate of Mediterranean climate plant. It can stand light frosts. Plants can grow in full sun or light shade. The soils should be well drained.

Where It Grows

Australia, Mexico*, North America, Tasmania, USA,

Cultivation

Requires a deep very well-drained fertile sandy soil in a sunny position and must be kept rather dry from when the bulb flowers until late winter. This is a rather difficult plant to cultivate in Britain, it is very cold hardy but is intolerant of wetness especially in the winter. It is easiest to grow in a bulb frame but is worth trying outdoors at the base of a south-facing wall, especially with shrubs that like these conditions. It should not be crowded by other plants. Bulbs can be lifted as soon as the foliage dies down in the summer and stored overwinter in a cool dry place, replanting in spring. Another report says that they should be replanted immediately. Bulbs frequently divide after flowering, the bulblets taking 2 years to reach flowering size. Hand pollination is necessary if seed is required.

Propagation

Seed - sow as soon as ripe or early spring in a cold frame in a very sharply draining medium. Stratification may be helpful for spring-sown seed, though this species usually germinates within two months without any treatment. Germination usually takes place within 1 - 6 months at 15°c. Leave the seedlings undisturbed for their first two years growth, but give them an occasional liquid feed to ensure they do not become nutrient deficient. It is quite difficult to get the seedlings through their first period of dormancy since it is all too easy either to dry them out completely or keep them too moist when they will rot. After their second year of growth, pot up the dormant bulbs in late summer and grow them on for at least another 2 years in the greenhouse before trying them outside. Seedlings take about 5 - 7 years to come into flower. Division of the bulbs as soon as the foliage dies down. One report says that the bulbs must be planted into their permanent positions immediately, whilst another says that they can be stored overwinter and replanted in the spring. Stem bulbils, harvested from the stems after flowering. Can be stored cool and dry then planted in pots in the cold frame in the spring.

Other Uses

None known Special Uses

Notes

There are about 60-100 Calochortus species. There are 7-9 species in tropical America. They have also been put in the family Calochortaceae.

Synonyms

C. purpurascens.

References (12)

Beckstrom-Sternberg, Stephen M., and James A. Duke. "The Foodplant Database." http://probe.nalusda.gov:8300/cgi-bin/browse/foodplantdb.(ACEDB version 4.0 - data version July 1994)
Bodkin, F., 1991, Encyclopedia Botanica. Cornstalk publishing, p 200
Brickell, C. (Ed.), 1999, The Royal Horticultural Society A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants. Convent Garden Books. p 211
Burnie, G.(Ed.), 2003, Annuals and Bulbs. The Gardener's Handbooks. Fog City Press. p 250
Hibbert, M., 2002, The Aussie Plant Finder 2002, Florilegium. p 50

Show all 12 references

Joyce, D., 1998, The Garden Plant Selector. Ryland, Peters and Small. p 283
Kermath, B. M., et al, 2014, Food Plants in the Americas: A survey of the domesticated, cultivated and wild plants used for Human food in North, Central and South America and the Caribbean. On line draft. p 165
Lim, T. K., 2015, Edible Medicinal and Non Medicinal Plants. Volume 9, Modified Stems, Roots, Bulbs. Springer p 21
Morley, B. & Everard, B., 1970, Wild Flowers of the World. Ebury press. Plate 167
Plants for a Future database, The Field, Penpol, Lostwithiel, Cornwall, PL22 0NG, UK. http://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/pfaf/
Saunders, C.F., 1948, Edible and Useful Wild Plants. Dover. New York. p 20
Stromberg, M. R. et al, California Grasslands: Ecology and Management. p 63