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 superbus is a species of flowering plant in the lily family known by the common name superb mariposa lily. It is endemic to California, where it is a common member of the flora in several types of habitat statewide. It is a perennial herb growing up to 40 to 60 centimeters tall with a basal leaf up to 30 centimeters long which withers by flowering. The flower cluster is a loose cluster of 1 to 3 erect, bell-shaped flowers. Each flower has three sepals and three petals all up to 4 centimeters long and blotched with yellow at the bases. There is generally a darker spot within the yellow area, and the base color of the segments may be white to light purple or solid yellow. The fruit is an angled capsule 5 or 6 centimeters long. This plant resembles Calochortus luteus, a chief discriminant being the oval to crescent shaped nectary of C. luteus compared to the squarish nectary of C. superbus.
Perennial herb, Geophyte
1 - 2 ft Tall
White, Yellow, Purple
Spring, Summer
Full Sun, Partial Shade
Low, Very Low
Never irrigate once established
Moderate
For propagating by seed: No treatment.
7*, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Open grassy places, dry meadows,
Foothill Woodland, Valley Grassland, Yellow Pine Forest
Butterflies and moths supported
0 confirmed and 1 likely
Orange Tortrix Moth
Argyrotaenia franciscana