Midseason bloomer.
Three petals, hanging-lantern-like flowers with a pink bluish
tinge. Alternate Globe Lily name reflects the globe shape of the
flowers. Grows on shady hillsides.
Notes: Calochortus is Greek for beautiful grass.
The
Maidu ate the bulbs of this and others in this genus -- dug bulbs,
boiled roasted or steamed them in pits. Some
tribes pounded bulbs into flour and
ate the result as mush. Bulbs
preserved well. The entire plant can
be used as a potherb, seeds ground into meal, buds eaten raw in salads. The
bulbs are nutritious and tasty. Those of the Globe Lily species have a maple-like taste. Flowers are
also edible. Some of the species are
endangered. They prefer cool, shady,
rocky slopes. USDA lists 56 Species and 78 accepted taxa overall in the
mariposa lily genus.