Hesperocallis undulata A. Gray
Desert lily, ajo lily
The Hesperocallis lily family is native to the North American southwest. (Hesperocallis comes from the Greek words hesperos (Ἓσπερος) and kalos (καλὸς), meaning “western beauty.”) Traditionally classified as lilies, these plants are actually more closely related to agaves.
Plants: 12–71″ (30–180 cm) in height.
Leaves: 8–20 ⨉ ¼–½″ (20–50 cm ⨉ 8–15 mm), with undulating serrated edges.
Flowers: White, showy, trumpet-shaped flowers occur in groups of 4 to 18, each 4–12″ (10–30 cm) long and about 3″ (7.6 cm) in diameter. Each flower has six petals and yellow anthers. Flowers appear from February to May.
Fruits: Capsules are ⅜–⅝″ (1.2–1.6 cm), containing seeds that are ⅛″ (5 mm).
Habitats: Sand dunes, creosote bush flats with loose soil in the Mojave and Sonoran deserts, below 2461′ (750 m).
Edibility: Desert lily bulbs, which can be quite large, have a garlic-like flavor, and may be baked or boiled, or eaten raw.
Online References:
2/28/2010 · Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California · ≈ 7 × 10″ (18 × 24 cm) 
2/28/2010 · Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California · ≈ 14 × 9″ (35 × 23 cm) 
2/28/2010 · Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California · ≈ 10 × 9″ (25 × 23 cm) 
2/28/2010 · Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California · ≈ 6 × 9″ (15 × 23 cm) 
2/28/2010 · Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California · ≈ 9 × 7″ (21 × 18 cm) 
2/28/2010 · Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California · ≈ 15 × 10″ (39 × 26 cm) 
2/28/2010 · Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California · ≈ 17 × 12″ (44 × 29 cm) 
2/28/2010 · Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California · ≈ 7 × 8″ (18 × 21 cm) 
2/28/2010 · Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California · ≈ 17 × 12″ (44 × 29 cm) 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Liliopsida | Monocots (plants with a single seed leaf); includes the lily family |
| Subclass | Liliidae | Includes lilies, orchids, and many others |
| Order | Asparagales | A diverse group that includes asparagus |
| Family | Asparagaceae | Agaves, asparagus, hyacinths, and others |
| Genus | Hesperocallis | From Greek hesperos (Ἓσπερος), “of or at evening, western, the west,” and kallos (καλὸς), “beauty,” loosely “western beauty,” a name assigned by Asa Gray, who believed it to be related to Hemerocallis |
| Species | undulata | “With undulations,” for the wavy leaf margins |
Hesperocallis undulata description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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