mariposa

mariposa

(ˌmærɪˈpəʊzə; -sə) n (Plants) any of several liliaceous plants of the genus Calochortus, of the southwestern US and Mexico, having brightly coloured tulip-like flowers. Also called: mariposa lily or mariposa tulip [C19: from Spanish: butterfly; from the likeness of the blooms to butterflies]

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

mariposa - any of several plants of the genus Calochortus having tulip-shaped flowers with 3 sepals and 3 petals; southwestern United States and Mexicomariposa lily, mariposa tulipliliaceous plant - plant growing from a bulb or corm or rhizome or tuberCalochortus, genus Calochortus - large genus of western North American leafy-stemmed bulbous herbsCalochortus elegans, elegant cat's ears, star tulip - small plant with slender bent stems bearing branched clusters of a few white star-shaped flowers with petals shaped like cat's ears; southeastern Washington and northeastern Oregon to MontanaCalochortus kennedyi, desert mariposa tulip - mariposa with clusters of bell-shaped vermilion or orange or yellow flowers atop short stems; southern California to Arizona and MexicoCalochortus luteus, yellow mariposa tulip - mariposa having clusters of a few large deep yellow bell-shaped flowers atop slender stems; California coastal rangesCalochortus macrocarpus, sagebrush mariposa tulip - mariposa having loose clusters of one to three handsome lilac flowers resembling umbels atop stout erect stems; arid northwestern North America east of Cascade Mountains from southern British Columbia to northern California