mariposa lily

[mar-uh-poh-suh, -zuh]

noun

any lily of the genus Calochortus, of the western U.S. and Mexico, having tuliplike flowers of various colors.

Origin of mariposa lily

1880–85, Americanism; < Spanish mariposa butterfly, moth; so named because blooms were likened to butterflies

Also called mar·i·po·sa, mariposa tulip.