Lily Family – Liliaceae
Actual flower size: 1 inch across
Elegant Mariposa Lily is also called Hairy Cat’s Ear or Elegant Cat’s Ear
Plant Description: Elegant Mariposa Lily has a 2 to 6 inch tall flowering stem which is slender, often weak or bent, with 1 to 7 flowers. There is 1 grass-like, basal leaf, about .5 inch wide and much longer than the flowering stem.
Flower Description: The flowers are 1 inch across. The white petals and sepals have many purple hairs on the lower half and purple blotches at the base. The 3 petals are broad, clawed, with a white fringe on the lower half. The 3 sepals are narrower and shorter than the petals, broad at the base with pointed tips. There are no hairs on the gland surface. There are 6 stamen, 3 higher than the other 3. The style is short with 3-lobed stigma.
Ecology: Elegant Mariposa Lily grows on grassy hillsides and nearby ponderosa pine forests at middle to high elevations east of the Cascades.
Elegant Mariposa Lily Photo Gallery
Actual flower size: 1 inch across