Species › Plants › Sego Lily

Sego Lily

Calochortus nuttallii

UncommonPlant
Illustration of Sego Lily (Calochortus nuttallii)

The Sego Lily is Utah's state flower — a delicate, bowl-shaped wildflower with three broad white petals marked with purple and yellow at the base. It blooms on dry, open slopes and sagebrush flats across the Great Basin and Rocky Mountains. Pioneer settlers and Native Americans ate the starchy bulbs during times of scarcity.

Habitat
Dry sagebrush flats, open slopes, and grasslands of the Great Basin and Rocky Mountains
Diet
Bulbs historically eaten by Native Americans and pioneers; seeds consumed by small rodents
How common
Uncommon

Best time to see a Sego Lily

The best time to see a Sego Lily is May–June, when about 79% of U.S. sightings happen, based on 6,851 research-grade iNaturalist observations.

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