Calochortus pulchellus

What to Eat

Edible parts: Root, Bulb

Edible Parts: Root Edible Uses: Bulb - raw or cooked. Rather small, usually smaller than a persons thumb, but easily harvested.

Where to Find It

It grows in woodland in California to 210 m altitude.

North America, USA,

How to Identify

Calochortus pulchellus is a small bulbous perennial reaching 30 cm tall, hardy to UK zone 3. It flowers in June with hermaphroditic blooms pollinated by insects. Grows in light sandy to medium loamy, well-drained soils across mildly acid to basic pH ranges. Tolerates semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade and adapts to both dry and moist soil conditions.

How to Grow

Requires a deep very well-drained fertile sandy soil in a warm sunny position and must be kept dry over winter. Another report says that it is best grown in a good, very gritty soil in sun or semi-shade in a bulb frame. This is a rather difficult plant to cultivate in Britain, it is very cold hardy but is intolerant of wetness especially in the winter. Another report says that the plant requires plenty of moisture when in growth, but very dry conditions after it has flowered. It is easiest to grow in a bulb frame but this species is one of the least difficult of the genus and is worth trying outdoors at the base of a south-facing wall, especially with shrubs that like these conditions. Bulbs can be lifted as soon as the foliage dies down in the summer and stored overwinter in a cool dry place, replanting in spring. Another report says that they should be replanted immediately. Bulbs frequently divide after flowering, the bulblets taking 2 years to reach flowering size. Hand pollination is necessary if seed is required. The flowers are sweetly scented. This species is closely related to C. amabilis.

Propagation: Seed - sow as soon as ripe or early spring in a cold frame in a very sharply draining medium. Stratification may be helpful. Germination usually takes place within 1 - 6 months at 15°c. Leave the seedlings undisturbed for their first two years growth, but give them an occasional liquid feed to ensure they do not become nutrient deficient. It is quite difficult to get the seedlings through their first period of dormancy since it is all too easy either to dry them out completely or keep them too moist when they will rot. After their second year of growth, pot up the dormant bulbs in late summer and grow them on for at least another 2 years in the greenhouse before trying them outside. Seedlings take about 5 - 7 years to come into flower. Division of the bulbs as soon as the foliage dies down. One report says that the bulbs must be planted into their permanent positions immediately, whilst another says that they can be stored overwinter and replanted in the spring. Stem bulbils, harvested from the stems after flowering. They can be stored cool and dry then planted in pots in the cold frame in the spring.

Medicinal Uses

None known

Other Uses

None known Special Uses Scented Plants

Calochortus pulchellus is a rare species of flowering plant in the lily family known by the common name Mt. Diablo fairy-lantern or Mount Diablo globelily. Calochortus pulchellus is endemic to California, where it is mainly restricted to Mount Diablo of the Diablo Range, in Contra Costa County of the eastern San Francisco Bay Area. There are historical occurrences in the North California Coast Ranges, within Marin, Solano, Napa, and Humboldt Counties. It grows in chaparral and woodland habitats, currently only known on the bayside−western slopes of Mount Diablo.

Notes

There are about 60-100 Calochortus species. There are 7-9 species in tropical America. They have also been put in the family Calochortaceae.

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