Fairy Lantern

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Fairy Lantern Facts

• Most notably, the truly gorgeous Fairy Lantern constitutes a stunning species. Unfortunately, however, it also remains an extremely rare type of flowering plant, as well as highly endangered.
• The fascinating species also forms part of the lily family of flowers, a rather extensive grouping of plants. Furthermore, it also sometimes goes by the name White Globe Lily, and the Mt. Diablo Lily.  
• In addition, this magnificent species also evolved as endemic to only a very small part of the world. In addition, except for a few stragglers, it actually occurs naturally on only one mountainside.
• Additionally, on occasion, a few of the aforementioned stragglers appear in neighboring counties. However, these scattered individual specimens never seem to establish a permanent presence.

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Fairy Lantern Physical Description

Most notably, the rather ethereal looking Fairy Lantern classifies as a perennial herb. The plant also produces a rather long, branching stem. Generally this feature attains a height of roughly 11.8 in (30 cm).

In addition, the lower leaves also typically grow longer than the stem itself. Further, these usually average around 15.75 in (40 cm) in length. These also most commonly remain throughout the life of the flower.

Generally, 2-3 other leaves also appear further up the stem of the plant. These commonly remain much shorter than the lower leaves and wither after the plant blooms. This makes for a rather unusual combination.

The plant also may produce either a single bloom or a cluster of several. All of these may be either white, pink, or a pale yellow in color. These blooms also typically develop spherical in shape. Finally, the ends of the petals always touch each other and generally have a covering of fine hairs.

• Kingdom: Plantae
• Phylum: Angiosperms
• Class: Monocots
• Order: Lilliales
• Family: Liliaceae
• Genus: Calochortus
• Species: C. albus

Fairy Lantern Distribution, Habitat, and Ecology

Most of all, the magnificent Fairy Lantern unfortunately inhabits an extremely limited range. This territory consists solely of the slopes of Mt. Diablo, in California, in the  United States, in North America.

However, within that area, the amazing species actually appears in various habitats. In fact, this stunning little beauty primarily inhabits areas of woods, shady grasslands, coastal bluffs, and rocky areas.

The Fairy Lantern is also utterly unique within its genus in one extremely surprising respect. These delicate blooms never open, but remain in their bud-shaped form throughout the endurance of the bloom.

Species Sharing Its Range

     Bald Eagle                        Cobra Lily                     Cecropia Moth

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