Lily Family – Liliaceae
Actual flower size: 1.5 inch across
Tolmie’s Mariposa Lily is also called Tolmie’s Pussy Ears.
Plant Description: Tolmie’s Mariposa Lily is 4 to 12 inches tall, erect, and usually branching. The single basal leaf is as long as or longer than the flowering stem and persists throughout flowering. The flowering stem has one smaller leaf and a single or several white or lavender flowers.
Flower Description: The flowers are 1.5 inches across and broadly bell-shaped. The 3 broad, 1 inch long petals are white (or lavender), very hairy on the inside, along the edges, including the tips, with light pink to purple highlights and deeper coloring near the base. The petals have straight hairs on the edges and taper gently to the base. There are 3 narrow sepals which are white, green or purple.
Ecology: Tolmie’s Mariposa Lily grows on open grassy slopes or in woods near sea level to mid-elevations, often on poor, dry soil.
Tolmie’s Mariposa Lily Photo Gallery