Plants usually bulbose; bulb coat, when present, membranous. Stems usually not branching but sometimes twisted, 1-2(-5) dm. Leaves: blade linear-attenuate; basal withering, 1-2 dm; blade channeled, glaucous. Inflorescences subumbellate, 1-6-flowered; bracts 2-4 cm, bases dilated. Flowers erect; perianth open, campanulate, each member often with brown-purple blotch near base; sepals ovate, 2-3 cm, apex acute; petals orange to red or ± yellow, cuneate to obovate, 3-5 cm, with a few slightly enlarged hairs near gland; glands round, depressed, surrounded by conspicuously fringed membrane, densely covered with unbranched or cleft hairs; filaments 4-5 mm; anthers purplish, lanceolate, 5-8 mm. Capsules erect, longitudinally striped, lanceoloid-linear, angled, 4-6 cm, apex acuminate. Seeds flat. 2n =16.
Wiggins 1964, Kearney and Peebles 1969, FNA 2002
Duration: Perennial Nativity: Native Lifeform: Forb/Herb General: Simple stems, stoutish, 10-25 cm tall, glaucous. Leaves: Basal leaves linear, deeply channeled, 2-5 mm wide, about equaling stems, glaucous; upper leaves 1-2 or wanting, 3-6 mm wide at base, 3-5 cm long, recurved and thick, attenuate, scarious along margins. Flowers: Umbels 2-4 flowered, sepals broadly ovate to lance-ovate, 2-3 cm long, 6-10 mm wide, acute, orange-red within, usually brownish spot near base; petals broadly cuneate-obovate, 2.5-3.5 cm long, orange-red with brownish purple claws; large hairy gland at base. Fruits: Capsule broadly linear-lanceolate, 4-5 cm long, obtusely triquetrous, slightly attenuate above. Ecology: Found on gravelly hills, mesas and outwash slopes below 5,000 ft (1524 m); flowers April-June. Notes: Several species of this genus are in the region, petal color usually is the diagnostic. Ethnobotany: Large bulbs were eaten. Etymology: Calochortus is Greek, meaning beautiful herb, while kennedyi is named after William Kennedy (c1827-). Synonyms: None Editor: SBuckley, 2010