Carried by 2 nurseries
View Availability at NurseryData provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria
View additional distribution information on the Jepson eflora
Calochortus obispoensis is a species of flowering plant in the lily family known by the common name San Luis mariposa lily. It is endemic to San Luis Obispo County, California, where it grows in the chaparral of the coastal mountains, generally on serpentine soils. It is a perennial herb producing a slender, branched stem up to 60 centimeters tall. The basal leaf is 20 to 30 centimeters in length and withers at flowering. There may be smaller leaves located along the stem. The flower cluster bears 2 to 6 erect flowers. Each spreading flower has three reflexed sepals up to 3 centimeters long and three flat petals each up to 2 centimeters long. The petals are yellow or orange in color with darker tips and fringed and coated in long, dark purple or red hairs. The fruit is an angled capsule up to 4 centimeters long which contains translucent yellow seeds.
Perennial herb, Geophyte
2 ft Tall
Yellow, Red, Orange
Full Sun
Low, Very Low
Never irrigate once established
Dry places
Chaparral, Coastal Sage Scrub, Valley Grassland
Butterflies and moths supported
0 confirmed and 1 likely
Orange Tortrix Moth
Argyrotaenia franciscana