PlantFiles: Mariposa Lily
Calochortus splendens 'Violet Queen'

Warning: this rating is based purely on the personal aesthetics of a "species snob" ;)

I dislike this selection, because it's not nearly as beautiful as the species.

Sure - the species is hard to grow, and this selection is (comparatively) not.
Sure - the leaves on the species have dried up by the time it flowers, whereas this selection keeps most of its green until the seed pods are well on their way to ripening.
Sure - the species up and dies on you if watered over a milliliter too much, whereas this selection is reputed to tolerate even (some) summer moisture.

But still, the rich violet of the species has been abandoned in favor of an insipid pink. The snowy-white fungal processes have been deemed controversial and minimized. And the pollen is no longer a shocking psychedelic purple, but a watered-down lavender.

Blah. If you like cutesy flowers grow carnations. If you are willing to spend a huge amount of time and effort nursing a finicky SoCal gem to flowering maturity, then the true species will reward you for your trouble with utter magnificence.

See the species for general culture and taxonomy.