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Taxon  Report  
Calochortus palmeri  S. Watson  var. palmeri 
Palmer's mariposa lily
Calochortus palmeri var. palmeri is a perennial herb (bulb) that is native to California, and endemic (limited) to California.
California Rare Plant Rank: 1B.2 (rare, threatened, or endangered in CA and elsewhere).
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
~170 records in California
yellowone or more occurrences
within a 7.5-minute quadrangle
DJJJASONAFMM

Bloom Period
Parent: Calochortus palmeri
Genus: Calochortus
Family: Liliaceae  
Category: angiosperm  
PLANTS group:Monocot
Jepson eFlora section: monocot

Wetlands: Occurs usually in wetlands, occasionally in non wetlands

Habitat: meadows

Communities: Yellow Pine Forest, Chaparral, wetland-riparian

Name Status:
Accepted by JEF + CNPS + PLANTS + POWO
Alternate Names:
PLANTSCalochortus paludicola
Information about  Calochortus palmeri var. palmeri from other sources
Nursery availability from CNPLX
This plant is available commercially.
Jepson eFlora

USDA PLANTS Profile (CAPAP4)

Photos on Calflora

Photos on CalPhotos

Google Images

Photos on iNaturalist

ID Tips on PlantID.net

[Wikipedia] Range, Varieties: It is endemic to California, where it is distributed in the Transverse Ranges and Peninsular Ranges of Southern California (Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Kern, Riverside, and San Diego Counties). There is also a report of an isolated population in the Diablo Range in San Benito County. Varieties Calochortus palmeri var. munzii - Munz's mariposa lily - rarer of the two, and known only from the Peninsular Ranges in Riverside and San Diego Counties. Calochortus palmeri var. palmeri - Palmer's mariposa lily - native to the Transverse Ranges. (link added 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]. 2025. The Calflora Database [a non-profit organization]. Available: https://www.calflora.org/   (Accessed: 05/17/2025).