mariposa lily

2 definitions found

mariposa lily - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Mariposa lily \Ma`ri*po"sa lil`y\ [Sp. mariposa a butterfly + E.
     lily. So called from the gay appearance of the blossoms.]
     (Bot.)
     One of a genus (Calochortus) of tuliplike bulbous herbs
     with large, and often gaycolored, blossoms. Called also
     butterfly lily. Most of them are natives of California.
     [1913 Webster]

mariposa lily - WordNet (r) 2.1 (2005) :

  mariposa lily
      n 1: any of several plants of the genus Calochortus having
           tulip-shaped flowers with 3 sepals and 3 petals;
           southwestern United States and Mexico [syn: mariposa,
           mariposa tulip, mariposa lily]