Calochortus longebarbatus

Calochortus longebarbatus To again quote the very informative NARGS "Bulbs of North America": "This is a plant of high mountain meadows from 5000 to 8330 feet (elevation) which seeks out a perfect hydrological regime. Grazing and erosion have severely reduced its populations on many sites; it is a kind of ecological barometer or miner's canary for alpine meadows. The extensive range of the species has many gaps, indicating loss of habitat. It occurs in eastern and south central Washington, down to Oregon's Hood River Valley; after a large gap in Klamath and Jackson counties of Southern Oregon; after another hiatus, in Shasta County, California. Like many plants of cold, semi-arid steppes, it is difficult to cultivate in most gardens, the bulbs appear to need a clay soil with some moisture over most of the year" It is certainly a bit more challenging than some of the others I have grown, but the moisture year around is not hard to provide even in pot culture, just make sure you use a humus rich potting soil, with Lot's of grit or pumice to both drain well and hold moisture. Cheers, Mark