Cat’s-ear Lily (Calochortus tolmiei) Lily Family (Liliaceae)

This perennial grows from a small bulb that has noticeable hairs on the inside of the petals that resemble the inner ear of a cat, hence the common name. It also has the common name of Tolmie’s Mariposa Lily. The Spanish named this flower mariposa lily, which means butterfly. Maybe they thought the furry quality on the inside of the flower resembled the delicate scales of butterfly wings. Calochortus comes from the Greek kato (beautiful) and chortus (grass). Tolmiei comes from Dr. William Fraser Tolmie who moved to the Pacific Northwest in the service of the Hudson Bay Company.

I see this plant growing out at the arboretum on the dry, grassy slope where the incense cedar trail opens up into a small meadow bordered by Oregon White Oak trees.

Flower

It has branched stems and white to cream-colored flowers 3/4 - 1 inch long and almost as broad. They are densely hairy +/- all over the inner faces and resemble the inner ears of a cat, hence the common name. The hairs at the bottom part of the flower appear to become tinged with purple. The base of the petal also becomes streaky with a purplish-to-rose color. The sepals are shorter and narrower than the petals and are pointy.

Leaves

There is a basal leaf up to 40 centimeters long which does not wither at flowering, and generally, has a smaller leaf farther up the stem.

Seeds

The seed capsules are nodding, 3-winged, with a 3-branched tip. They contain small, purplish seeds that have a dimpled surface. I love the shape of this seed pod. It reminds me of a design you might encounter in a wind turbine or a boat propeller. The field guides describe it as having wings, but I think “wavy fins” could have been an apt description too. I am sure the shape of the capsule must have something to do with the dispersal of the seeds or in some way capture the spirit of this plant.

References

“Calochortus Tolmiei.” Wikipedia, 21 June 2022. Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Calochortus_tolmiei&oldid=1094292121.

Mathews, Daniel. Cascade-Olympic Natural History. Raven Editions in conjunction with the Audubon Society of Portland, 1988.

Pojar, Jim, and Andrew MacKinnon. Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast: Washington, Oregon, British Columbia & Alaska. Revised ed, Lone Pine, 2004.

Tolmie’s Star Tulip, Calochortus Tolmiei. https://calscape.org/Calochortus-tolmiei-(). Accessed 27 Mar. 2023.

Quick Reference:

Height: Up to 30 cm or about 1 foot
Leaves: Basal leaf up to 40 cm long; generally, has a smaller leaf farther up the stem.
Flowers: White to cream-colored flowers 3/4 - 1 inch long and almost as broad; hairy on inner faces.
Habitat: Dry, grassy or rocky slopes.

Journal Location:
Mt. Pisgah Arboretum, Eugene, OR
Mt. Pisgah Arboretum Website
Mt. Pisgah Arboretum Plant List