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Taxon  Report  
Calochortus pulchellus  (Benth.) Alph. Wood
Mount Diablo globelily,   Mt. Diablo fairy lantern
Calochortus pulchellus 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
~259 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: Foothill Woodland, Chaparral, Valley Grassland
Name Status:
Accepted by JEF + CNPS + PLANTS

Alternate Names:
PLANTSCalochortus rhodothecus
Information about  Calochortus pulchellus from other sources
Nursery availability from CNPLX
This plant is available commercially.
Jepson eFlora

USDA PLANTS Profile (CAPU2)

Photos on Calflora

Photos on CalPhotos

Google Images

Photos on iNaturalist

ID Tips on PlantID.net

[Wikipedia] Description & Range: Calochortus pulchellus is a rare species of flowering plant in the lily family known by the common name Mt. Diablo fairy-lantern or Mount Diablo globelily. Calochortus pulchellus is endemic to California, where it is mainly restricted to Mount Diablo of the Diablo Range, in Contra Costa County of the eastern San Francisco Bay Area. There are historical occurrences in the North California Coast Ranges, within Marin, Solano, Napa, and Humboldt Counties. It grows in chaparral and woodland habitats, currently only known on the bayside - western slopes of Mount Diablo. Calochortus pulchellus is a perennial herb growing a branching stem up to about 30 centimeters tall. The basal leaf is up to 40 centimeters long and does not wither at flowering; there are 2 or 3 smaller leaves farther up the stem. The inflorescence is a solitary flower or a cluster of several flowers, which are nodding and usually spherical with all their petal tips touching. The three sepals and three petals are 2 or 3 centimeters long and pale to deep yellow. The petals are thinly hairy inside and often fringed with yellow hairs. The fruit is a winged capsule 2-3 centimeters in length. (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: 04/28/2024).