Mariposa lily \Ma`ri*po"sa lil`y\ [Sp. mariposa a butterfly + E. lily. So called from the gay apperance of the blossoms.] (Bot.) One of a genus ({Calochortus}) of tuliplike bulbous herbs with large, and often gaycolored, blossoms. Called also {butterfly lily}. Most of them are natives of California.
Calochortus n : large genus of western North American leafy-stemmed bulbous herbs [syn: {genus Calochortus}]