Plants bulbose; bulb coat membranous. Stems usually branching, 1-6 dm. Leaves: basal withering, 1-2 dm; blade linear. Inflorescences subumbellate, 1-3-flowered; bracts 2-8 cm. Flowers erect; per-ianth open, campanulate; sepals with dark red proximal blotch surrounding gland and extending to base, lanceolate, 2-3 cm, apex recurved; petals white or yellowish, often pink abaxially, with dark red blotch surrounding gland, often with small red spot immediately above gland, obovate to cuneate, 3-5 cm, with scattered hairs proximally; glands suprabasal, ± square, not depressed, covered with short hairs; filaments usually equaling anthers; anthers linear-lanceolate to oblong. Capsules erect, linear, angled, 5-6 cm. Seeds light beige, flat, 5-6 mm. 2n = 14.

Flowering late spring--mid summer. Sand (often granitic), grasslands to pine forests; 0--1100 m; Calif.

Calochortus simulans is restricted to central San Luis Obispo County.