Distribution: Occurring east of the Cascades crest in central Washington; British Columbia south along the east slope of the Cascades to south-central Washington.
Habitat: Dry, open coniferous forests at moderate to mid-elevations in the mountains.
Flowers: May-July
Origin: Native
Growth Duration: Perennial
Conservation Status: Not of concern
Pollination: Bees, beetles
Perennial herb from a deep-seated bulb, the stem erect, 1-5 dm. tall.
Basal leaf flat, 1-2 dm. long and 2-20 mm. broad, not exceeding the inflorescence; a single bract-like cauline leaf about mid-stem.
Umbel 1-4 flowered; flowers white or purplish tinged, with a purple crescent on each petal above the gland and a similar spot on each sepal; pedicels slender, erect or spreading; sepals 3, about equal to the petals, lanceolate, glabrous; petals 3, ovate to lanceolate, pointed, abruptly contracted at the base to a short claw, conspicuously fringed with long, slender hairs; gland transverse, arched upward, bordered above with a fringed membrane and below with a narrower membrane, the enclosed surface covered with thick processes; stamens 6, style short, stigma trifid, persistent.
Capsule elliptic, 3-winged, erect.
PNW Herbaria: Specimen records of Calochortus lyallii in the Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria database
WA Flora Checklist: Calochortus lyallii checklist entry
OregonFlora: Calochortus lyallii information
E-Flora BC: Calochortus lyallii atlas page
CalPhotos: Calochortus lyallii photos