White Mariposa Lily
Calochortus venustus
A mariposa lily whose three broad petals form a shallow cup — cream, white or deep rose, each marked with a dark red eye that varies wildly between populations. It blooms on dry, open slopes in early summer, then goes fully dormant. Needs a baked, unwatered summer to persist.
- Family
- Liliaceae
- Type
- wildflower
- Lifespan
- perennial
- Height
- 1–2 ft
- Spacing
- 0.25–0.5 ft apart
- Light
- part shade
- Soil moisture
- dry, moist
- Soil pH
- neutral
- Bloom
- May, June, July
- Bloom colors
- white, red, pink, yellow, purple
- Wildlife value
- pollinators
- Landscape uses
- border, naturalizing
- Native states
- CA
Related native plants
More Calochortus species
- Sego Lily (Calochortus nuttallii)
- Superb Mariposa Lily (Calochortus superbus)
- Doubting Mariposa Lily (Calochortus ambiguus)