Flower profile
Sego lily
Calochortus nuttallii
Sego lily (Calochortus nuttallii) is a flowering plant in the Liliaceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly May–July across the U.S.
Sego lily is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 4 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in May–July.
*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.
On our lists for: North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming
Quick look
Calochortus nuttallii, also known as the sego lily, is a bulbous perennial plant that is endemic to the Western United States. The common name of sego comes from a similar Shoshone word. It is the state flower of Utah.
- It belongs to the Liliaceae family. iNaturalist
- USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a perennial life cycle. USDA PLANTS
- USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 11 states. USDA PLANTS
- NatureServe lists it as native to Utah, Wyoming, South Dakota and North Dakota. NatureServe
- In Utah, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in May–July. iNaturalist
- In Wyoming, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in June–July. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 2,312 research-grade sightings of it in Utah, ranking #8 among the 153 flowers on our Utah list. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 563 research-grade sightings of it in Wyoming, ranking #48 among the 113 flowers on our Wyoming list. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 255 research-grade sightings of it in South Dakota, ranking #54 among the 126 flowers on our South Dakota list. iNaturalist
When does it bloom?
Bloom time in the 4 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it
| State | Type | Peak bloom | Sightings* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Utah | Native | May–July | 2,312 |
| Wyoming | Native | June–July | 563 |
| South Dakota | Native | June | 255 |
| North Dakota | Native | June | 199 |
Conservation status
- Federal (U.S. ESA)
- Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. USFWS ECOS
- NatureServe global
- G5 Secure worldwide. NatureServe
- Utah
- No list Utah has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Utah ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Utah.
- Wyoming
- No list Wyoming has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Wyoming ranks instead. NatureServe: S5, secure in Wyoming.
- South Dakota
- No list South Dakota's endangered and threatened list (ARSD 41:10:02) covers animals only, so we show NatureServe's South Dakota ranks for plants. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in South Dakota.
- North Dakota
- No list North Dakota has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's North Dakota ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in North Dakota.
- Rare elsewhere
- No other U.S. state ranks it S1, S2, SH or SX.
Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.
Can you eat it?
None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.
ASPCA's entry “Calochortus nuttalli” (Calochortus spp), which covers the whole genus, lists it as non-toxic to dogs, cats and horses. Eating lots of any plant can still upset a pet's stomach. ASPCA
🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.
Where does it grow?
USDA PLANTS records sego lily in 11 states.
recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded
See the full list of states
Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming.
Utah counties with USDA records: Beaver, Box Elder, Cache, Carbon, Daggett, Davis, Duchesne, Emery, Garfield, Grand, Iron, Juab, Kane, Millard, Morgan, Piute, Rich, Salt Lake, San Juan, Sanpete, Sevier, Summit, Tooele, Uintah, Utah, Wasatch, Washington, Wayne, Weber.
Wyoming counties with USDA records: Albany, Big Horn, Campbell, Carbon, Converse, Crook, Fremont, Goshen, Hot Springs, Johnson, Laramie, Lincoln, Natrona, Niobrara, Park, Platte, Sheridan, Sublette, Sweetwater, Teton, Washakie, Weston.
South Dakota counties with USDA records: Bennett, Butte, Fall River, Haakon, Harding, Jackson, Lawrence, Meade, Mellette, Pennington.
Names, range and relatives
County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 149 counties across 11 states; the most are in Montana (31), Utah (29), Wyoming (22).
Other Calochortus on Bloomipedia (9): White globe lily, Yellow mariposa lily, Tolmie's pussy ears, Gunnison's mariposa lily, Sagebrush mariposa lily, Winding mariposa lily, White mariposa lily, Bruneau mariposa lily, Baker's mariposa lily.
More from the Liliaceae family (32 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Yellow trout lily, Cucumber root, Bluebead lily, White fawnlily, Checker lily, Glacier lily, Columbia lily, Hooker's fairybells.
More Utah flowers
Sources
- USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile CANU3.
- iNaturalist, Calochortus nuttallii: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia, Calochortus nuttallii (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Utah Code § 63G-1-601: Utah state flower.
- Utah: Utah noxious weed list (Utah Admin. Code R68-9-3).
- Wyoming: Wyoming state designated noxious weeds (W.S. 11-5-102(a)(xi)), as listed by the Wyoming Weed & Pest Council.
- South Dakota: South Dakota statewide noxious weeds (ARSD 12:62:03:01.06).
- North Dakota: North Dakota state noxious weeds (N.D. Admin. Code 7-06-01-02), as listed by the ND Department of Agriculture.
- USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
- NatureServe Explorer, Calochortus nuttallii (global and state ranks).
- Edibility and toxicity: ASPCA.
- Photo: Rory O'Shea via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.