Calochortus pulchellus--The Diablo Globe Lily

March 2013: Fairy Lantern attitude in cultivation. Note the prominant gland.

  

Above, the Mount Diablo Globe Lily in situ on Mount Diablo, Contra Costa County. The right photo is the same plant, several weeks later, sporting ripe seed pods.

Calochortus pulchellus, the Diablo Globe Lily, has one of the most limited ranges of the California Globe Lilies--it is found exclusively in the Mount Diablo region of Contra Costa County. While it is often confused with C. amabilis, it is often more globe-like in form and has paler coloring. From germination to flowering takes three growing seasons.