Calochortus superbus
You probably can't be a half bad looking flower if your common name is the
Superb Mariposa Lily.
From the must have NARGS Pulication "Bulbs of North America":
"This species has a disjunct northern outpost in Siskiyou County, California northwest of Mud Lake, where it grows in juniper-sagebrush woodland along with C. macrocarpus. More generally it is found from Shasta county south to Kern County and through the North Coast Ranges to Lake and Sonoma counties, at 670 to 5700 feet elevation. It does remarkably well in cultivation. the plants reach 50 centimeters and have basal bulblets."
It does do very well in cultivation, the specimen in this photo having no less than 13 flowers and it's in a one gallon pot.
The late mix.
Late bloomers always succeed in life, otherwise they never would have blossomed at some point...right?
I'm gonna design a flower bed with the above mix and it's going to look spectacular at the end of May and beginning of June.
More Calochortus tomorrow.
Mark |