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Taxon  Report  
Calochortus dunnii  Purdy
Dunn's mariposa lily
Calochortus dunnii is a perennial herb (bulb) that is native to California, and also found in Baja California.
California Rare Plant Rank: 1B.2 (rare, threatened, or endangered in CA and elsewhere).
State of California status: Rare.
Siskiyou Del Norte Modoc Humboldt Shasta Lassen Trinity Plumas Tehama Butte Mendocino Glenn Sierra Yuba Lake Nevada Colusa Placer Sutter El Dorado Yolo Alpine Napa Sonoma Sacramento Mono Amador Solano Calaveras Tuolumne San Joaquin Marin Contra Costa Alameda Santa Cruz Mariposa Madera San Francisco San Mateo Merced Fresno Stanislaus Santa Clara Inyo San Benito Tulare Kings Monterey San Bernardino San Luis Obispo Kern Santa Barbara Ventura Los Angeles Riverside Orange San Diego Imperial
Observation Search
~76 records in California
yellowone or more occurrences
within a 7.5-minute quadrangle
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Bloom Period
Genus: Calochortus
Family: Liliaceae  
Category: angiosperm  
PLANTS group:Monocot
Jepson eFlora section: monocot

Communities: Closed-cone Pine Forest, Chaparral
Name Status:
Accepted by JEF + CNPS + PLANTS

Information about  Calochortus dunnii from other sources
Nursery availability from CNPLX
This plant is available commercially.
Jepson eFlora

USDA PLANTS Profile (CADU)

Photos on Calflora

Photos on CalPhotos

Google Images

Photos on iNaturalist

ID Tips on PlantID.net

[Wikipedia] Distribution, Description, Conservation: Calochortus dunnii is a rare species of flowering plant in the lily family known by the common name Dunn's mariposa lily. Distribution The plant is endemic to the Peninsular Ranges, native to southern San Diego County, California; and northern Baja California state, Mexico. It is known from only a few occurrences in chaparral, grassland, and Closed-cone coniferous forest habitats, at 185 - 1,830 feet (56 - 558 m) in elevation in the Cuyamaca Mountains, Laguna Mountains, and others.[2][3] Description Calochortus dunnii is a perennial herb growing a slender, branching stem up to 60 centimeters tall. The waxy, channeled basal leaf is 10 to 20 centimeters long and withers at flowering. The inflorescence bears 2 to 6 erect bell-shaped flowers. Each flower has three sepals and three white or pinkish petals. The petals are up to 3 centimeters long and spotted with red and yellow near the bases, where there are patches of yellow hairs. The fruit is a narrow, angled capsule 2 to 3 centimeters long. Conservation Although the plant isn't seriously impacted by any one major problem,[1] the main threat to the existence of this rare species is collecting by admirers of the attractive flowers.[4] (contributed by Mary Ann Machi)


Suggested Citation
Calflora: Information on California plants for education, research and conservation, with data contributed by public and private institutions and individuals. [web application]. 2024. Berkeley, California: The Calflora Database [a non-profit organization]. Available: https://www.calflora.org/   (Accessed: 03/28/2024).