Calochortus nuttallii

Taxobox
name = Sego Lily

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regnum = Plantae
divisio = Magnoliophyta
classis = Liliopsida
ordo = Liliales
familia = Liliaceae
genus = "Calochortus"
species = " C. nuttallii "
binomial = " Calochortus nuttallii "
binomial_authority = Torr. & A.GrayThe Sego Lily, "Calochortus nuttallii", is a bulbous perennial which is endemic to the Western United States. It is also the state flower of Utah.

Description

The Sego Lily has 1 to 4 flowers, each with 3 white petals (and 3 sepals) which are tinged with lilac (occasionally magenta) and have a purplish band radiating from the yellow base. These appear in early summer. Plants are around 15 cm in height and have linear leaves.

Uses

The bulbs of this and other "Calochortus" species were roasted, boiled or made into a porridge by Native Americans and were also used as a food source by the Mormon pioneers in Utah.cite web |url=http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/plants/wildflwr/species/calonutt.htm |title=Mariposa Lily (Calochortus nuttallii)
accessdate=2007-11-12 |last= |first= |coauthors= |date= |work=Native Wildflowers of the North Dakota Grasslands |publisher=Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center] [cite paper | author =Chamberlin, R.V.|url=http://www.swsbm.com/Ethnobotany/Ethnobotany_of_Gosiute.pdf |title=The Ethno-botany of the Gosiute Indians of Utah |accessdate=2007-11-12 |last= |first= |coauthors= |date= |work=Memoirs of the American Anthropological Association Vol II, part 5|publisher=] Currently, it is grown as an ornamental for its attractive tulip-shaped flowers.

tate Flower

The flower was chosen as the state flower of Utah due to its importance in pioneering times and its "natural beauty". It was formally adopted on March 18, 1911. [cite web |url=http://www.netstate.com/states/symb/flowers/ut_sego_lily.htm |title=Utah State Flower |accessdate=2007-11-12 |last= |first= |coauthors= |date= |work= |publisher=Netstate.com]

Distribution

The plant is native to a number of western states including Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico. [cite web |url=http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=242101485 |title=Calochortus nuttallii |accessdate=2007-11-12 |last= |first= |coauthors= |date= |work=Flora of North America |publisher=eFloras.org]

Taxonomy

The Sego Lily is a species within the genus "Calochortus", in a sub-group generally referred to as Mariposa Lilies. The specific epithet "nuttallii", named for the English botanist and zoologist, Thomas Nuttall, was ascribed to the species by the American botanists John Torrey and Asa Gray when it was officially described in 1857.

A number of former varieties of "Calochortus nuttallii" are currently treated as species in their own right as follows:
*var. "aureus" (S.Watson) Ownbey is currently "Calochortus aureus" S.Watson
*var. "australis" Munz is currently "Calochortus invenustus" Greene
*var. "bruneaunis" (A.Nelson & J.F.Macbr.) Ownbey is currently "Calochortus bruneaunsis" A.Nelson & J.F.Macbr.
*var. "leichtlinii" (Hook.f.) Smiley is currently "Calochortus leichtlinii" Hook.f.
* var. "panamintensis" Ownbey is currently "Calochortus panamintensis" (Ownbey) Reveal
*var. "subalpinus" M.E.Jones is currently "Calochortus leichtlinii" Hook.f [cite web |url=http://www.kew.org/searchepic/detailquery.do?requiredPage=1&scientificName=Calochortus+nuttallii&datasources=ipni&datasources=mc&datasources=libcat&datasources=herbcat&datasources=ecbot&datasources=livcoll&datasources=sid&datasources=sepasal&datasources=efz&datasources=kewweb&categories=names&categories=bibl&categories=colln&categories=taxon&categories=flora&categories=misc&detailDatasource=mc |title=Calochortus nuttallii
accessdate=2007-11-12 |last= |first= |coauthors= |date= |work=electronic Plant Information Centre (ePIC) |publisher=Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew]

Cultivation

Sego lilies prefer a deep, sandy soil with good drainage and are cold-hardy. Plants can be propagated from newly-formed bulblets which take two years to flower. [cite web |url=http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Calochortus+nuttallii |title=Calachotus nuttalli |accessdate=2007-11-12 |last= |first= |coauthors= |date= |work=|publisher=Plants for a Future]

References