Calochortus--Beautiful Grass

The genus Calochortus are a variety of perennial bulb-producing plants endemic to Western North America. The name Calochortus is derived from the Greek and means "beautiful grass," probably because many species have long, grass-like, basal leaves. Many (about 28) Calochortus species are exclusive to California. We had over fourteen species of Calochortus under cultivation this year at Seventh Street. Most bloomed for their first time. These were C. pulchellus, C. amabilis, C. albus, C. amoenus, C. luteus,  C. superbus, C. tolmiei, C. monophyllus, C. argillosus, and my avowed favorite, C. leichtlinnii. The average time for seed-grown Calochortus to bloom is three growing seasons.