Calochortus venustus flower
Calochortus venustus flower.
Calochortus amabilis - Golden fairy lantern
Calochortus amabilis flowers.
Calopchortus amabilis, another California native flowering bulb. This is a stout branching plant with bright yellow flowers with a triangular outline.
The plant prefers higher levels of shade, and soil humus rich in organic matter, however it grows in the wild in a wide variety of conditions, including full sun, rocky hillsides, chaparral and Serpentine soils. .
In the wild the plant can be found along the North Coast Ranges from Solano and Marin Counties to Humboldt an Colusa County.
As with the bulbs of many Calochortus species, C. amabilis bulbs were traditionally eaten by Indigenous peoples in the region. Bulbs were baked or boiled and eaten in a similar way as sweet potatoes. Large swaths of land were carefully sustainably managed over generations to provide supply of these delicious and nutritious bulbs.
Young seed pods on Calochortus amabilis
Calochortus amabilis flower close-up.