Tuesday, May 14, 2013

yellow star-tulip ~ 05/14/13 ~ Washington

Liliaceae

I was pleased to find yet another Calochortus.  I wonder if these yellow star-tulips might be bigger if they were on better soil, kinda like how fairly lanterns are incredibly small at Fort Ord compared to all the other places I've found them.  It's interesting that the common names seem to divide the genus into globe lilies, mariposa lilies, and star-tulips.  Considering the current enthusiasm for renaming everything under the sun, I'm betting Calochortus will be split apart at some point in the future.

ps - I'm still hoping someone out there knows which x-some deletion causes short pinky fingers.

4 comments:

Imperfect and Tense said...

This plant malarkey is a right ID minefield, isn't it?

Your ps instigated much hand staring amongst the gathered throng in Tense Towers. We have all concluded that you're absolutely normal.

Following your digital link, I have to ask, what is it about dragonfly enthusiasts? :o)

randomtruth said...

While splitters are everywhere, and the future uncertain, in the case of Calochortus, I believe you'll find the reverse has occurred. The different types had different genera that have been condensed into Calochortus. "Mariposa" was one former genus, as was "Cyclobothra."

Katie (Nature ID) said...

Graeme, are you guys changing the names of your plants over there, too? Ever since learning to play the piano as a kid, I've been acutely aware of my unusually short handspan because I barely grew into the full chords. I've only ever met 2 other people with pinkys barely reaching halfway up the middle phalanx of the 3rd finger. Back when I worked in a SOM Genetics Dept, one of my PIs told me which x-some this was on, maybe 16? Maybe you TTers have the same?

Ken, thanks for this information. I had no idea. With a direct Jepson eFlora search I found the old Mariposa, but it's not mentioned anywhere on Calflora. Eh, the new entomologists are combiners, too. Eek! Dr. Shapiro and I talked about how common names seem to be taking over the stability role that binomial nomenclature should serve.

Imperfect and Tense said...

Katie, never mind all that Latin malarkey, I struggle with changing geographical region (north east England to the Midlands) and coming to terms with the shift in local names!

The pinky question has now reached my workplace. Heck, but there's some variation, though no concert pianists as far as I am aware.