No I haven't. But I did see them in Brecks and thought about ordering them. Let us know how they do! If they bloom longer than normal tulips, would be great! Good luck with them.

I haven't heard of them either. If you google 'Calochortus', there seems to be plenty of info. Here's a link to these bulbs that Scheeper's has...

Here is a link that might be useful: Scheeper's Calochortus bulbs

This sort of thing makes me so angry. They are NOT Tulips, and although the same family (Liliacea), totally different.

Calochortus is a California native; definitely not a tulip. As deeds1 says. That's probably why you have not heard of it before; most dealers show it under its real name. It does get awfully confusing when different flowers are called by the same name. What drives me nuts is how many flowers are called "___lily", when they are not lilies but just look sort of like them.

So then what are they if they aren't tulips? Seems I Googled calochortus and nothing I saw was what Breck's sent me. I hope they aren't lilies since lilies pollen will kill cats.

They are native plants of the American Praries, there are NO tulip species native to the Americas. Therefore they cannot be tulips, they are of a totally differt genus of plants.

On a another point I grow thousands of lilies, have kept cats all my life and have never had a problem - it's a rare occurence that cats are poisioned by lilies - all documented cases have been when the cats are kept indoors and the stamens haven't been removed from the flowers, therefore the pollen has gotten onto the cats fur, and they have ingested it during cleaning themselves. Take a little care and it's not a problem anymore than letting them eat asprin is!

Does your cat normally eat flowers? Mine don't. (Leaves, maybe...) They seem repelled, if anything, by flower scent.

I've seen a couple of different colors offered for Calochortus. What did you find on Google that was that different? Color? Or somthing else?

Calochortus is a genus of flowers native to the western US. There are about a half dozen species, and many selected colors and varieties and hybrids. One species is called the "Sego Lily" and is the state flower of Utah.

Unlike tulips, these do not like moisture in winter. Treat them more like fritillaries than tulips.

George

My cats will try to eat plants sometimes. Like I took Ash outside with me once and she bit my begonia the first couple of times she saw it. I gave her a light smack on the head and she quit.

Asprin kills cats. Also the lilies pollen can cause their kidneys to shut down and kill them just from them licking that pollen off their fur. I've included the link to the ASPCA poison control article about it. Poinsettias can cause problems too. My guy's dad is a veterinarian and his sister is going to vet school next year so that is where I get all of my info from. I don't want to risk anything hurting them. My first dog, a cairn terrier, was poisoned and I remember seeing him suffer at 6 years old. That was a yard service's fault though. We did a free weed spray since they were new in town and told them to NOT come back and they climbed our 7 foot fence and sprayed while we were not home so he ran through the wet grass and ingested it and everything. They're a national company and I still tell people not to use them.

The ones I found through Google were totally different plants. I forget what exactly as it has been a few weeks since I looked.

Here is a link that might be useful: ASPCA: Springtime Reminder: Lilies Can Be Deadly To Cats

That was my point, Asprin kills cats, and people are (or should be)very careful with them around cats, just the same as it's sensible to remove stamens from cut lilies where you have cats.

Thanks for the warning. I never cut and bring the lilies inside, as I prefer them on the plant, but I'll keep an eye on the cat when it's lily blooming season. She always stays with me (a real scaredy-cat) so that's not as hard as it sounds; plus the lilies are all pretty tall. I guess I've been lucky the last few cats have not cared to eat my plants. I planted catmint for this one, and when I offered it to her she acted highly offended. (as if saying, "Please! I'm a housecat! I don't eat wild food!")

I'll remember about the poinsettias too. Is it the pollen or leaves for poinsettias?

Sorry, I didn't read it that way. I was thinking you were implying it wouldn't harm them. I don't know that most people know that about lilies though. I didn't until I got a cat and started working on a website for a cat rescue.

I don't remember what part of a poinsettia is bad. I think I just read it in a list in the back of a book on cats.

Poinsettia is poisonous if ingested. Just keep it out of reach of your pets and it is fine.

I HAVE PLENTY OF SUPERA BUTTERFL TULIPS GROWING IN MY MEADOWS. THEY PRETTY MUCH GROW WILD EVERY SUMMER . THEY COME BACK YEAR AFTER YEAR . THEY MAKE A LOVELY CUT FLOWER AND LAST ABOUT 9 DAYS IN A VASE OF WATER..WE ALSO THINK THEY ARE CALLED SEGO LILY;; OR MARIPOSA LILY.:;
CALOCHORTUS NUTTALLII. I LOVE THEM AND WOULD LIKE TO FIND A WAY TO MARKET THEM, I WISH I HAD SEEN YOUR MESSAGE SOONER , I COULD HAVE SENT YOU A PIX OF THE MEADOW IN BLOOM
BROSI