Official State Flowers of the United States
Calochortus nuttalli -Sego lily
Calochortus nuttalli -Sego lily
“Utah designated the sego lily (Calochortus nuttalli) as the official state flower in 1911.
Blooming in early summer, the sego lily has white, lilac, or yellow flowers and grows on open grass and sage rangelands in the Great Basin of Utah. The sego lily was chosen as the flower symbol of Utah because of its natural beauty and historic significance (the soft, bulbous root of the sego lily was collected and eaten in the mid 1800’s during a crop-devouring plague of crickets in Utah).” statesymbolsusa.org
Calochortus nuttallii are around 15-45 cm (6-18 inches) in height and have linear leaves. Plants have 1 to 4 flowers, each with 3 white petals (and 3 sepals) which are tinged with lilac (occasionally magenta) and have a purplish band radiating from the yellow base. A yellow petaled form with deep purple bands is known from Petrified Forest National Park. The plant blooms in early summer, with flowers that can be up to 3 inches across.
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