CATALINA MARIPOSA 
Calochortus catalinae Watson 
Catalina matiposa is a gay member of the genus Calochortus, of 
which more than forty varieties are found in California. Its flowers 
ate delicately colored, their pearly petals marked with lavender. In 
favorable situations the plant may attain a height of two feet; in 
dry soil, although the stems are comparatively short, the flowers ate 
still of normal dimensions, making them appear larger in propottion. 
Catalina mariposa grows in southern California, and on the adja- 
cent islands. It was described originally from Santa Catalina Island. 
The mariposas, members of the Lily Family, are most abundant on 
the Pacific coast, but they range eastward to the Rocky Mountains 
and southward to the highlands of central Mexico. About fifty 
species ate known. The name mariposa 1s the Spanish word for 
butterfly, and the plants are often called mariposa lilies. 
The specimen sketched was obtained near Santa Ana, California. 
PLATE 205 
