mariposa lily

[ mar-uh-poh-suh, -zuh ]

noun

1. any lily of the genus Calochortus, of the western U.S. and Mexico, having tuliplike flowers of various colors.

Word History and Origins

Origin of mariposa lily¹

1880–85, Americanism; < Spanish mariposa butterfly, moth; so named because blooms were likened to butterflies

Example Sentences

There are native and nonnative plants all around the Bowl, but this area in particular is home to Plummer’s mariposa lily, a rare plant.

From Los Angeles Times

And the alkali mariposa lily and ash meadows blazing star are among the plants that grow only along this river.

From New York Times

Waist-high violet lupines, delicate mariposa lilies and knee-high shooting stars left us no room to walk.

From Washington Post

Calochortus.—Beautiful bulbous plants, called mariposa lilies, requiring warm sheltered spots in rich gritty and well-drained soil.

From Project Gutenberg

Conspicuous and characteristic flowers of the lower altitudes are the mariposa lily, iris, wallflower, gaillardia, and numerous species of cinquefoil, pentstemon, and evening primrose.

From Project Gutenberg