sego

Sego refers to Calochortus nuttallii, commonly known as the sego lily, a bulb-forming perennial in the lily family native to the western United States. The plant grows from a bulb and typically produces a single slender flowering stem 15–60 cm tall, with a tuft of narrow, evergreen leaves at the base. The flowers are usually white, sometimes with a greenish or pinkish tint, and often bear a maroon or purple blotch at the base of the petals. The six tepals form a bell-shaped bloom that opens in spring to early summer. The species is pollinated by bees and other insects.

Sego grows in open, dry habitats such as sagebrush plains, grasslands, and pinyon–juniper woodlands. Its range extends across the western United States, including Utah, California, Nevada, Oregon, and Idaho, at elevations roughly 1,200 to 2,800 meters.

The plant stores starch in underground tubers, which have historically been used as a food source by Indigenous peoples and by settlers in Utah during difficult winters.

The sego lily is Utah’s state flower, designation adopted in 1911, and it remains a symbol of the region’s natural heritage.