Stems coarse, flexuous, ca. 5-10 dm. Leaves not recurved. Flowers: petals light yellow, longer than sepals, hairs not very knobby; glands shallowly to moderately depressed; anthers yellow to pale or medium purple. Flowering late spring--mid summer. Dry, rocky slopes, chaparral, often on serpentine; 0--1300 m; Calif. Calochortus clavatus var. pallidus is known from the Great Valley and western Transverse Ranges.