mariposa lily Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun any of several plants of the genus Calochortus having tulip-shaped flowers with 3 sepals and 3 petals; southwestern United States and Mexico
    mariposa tulip; mariposa.

WordNet

Ma`ri*po"sa lil`y
Etymology
Sp. mariposa a butterfly + E. lily. So called from the gay apperance of the blossoms.
Definitions
  1. (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.

Webster 1913