Fritillaria affinis

Fritillaria affinis, the chocolate lily, is a highly variable species of flowering plant in the lily family Liliaceae native to western North America.

Description

It grows from a bulb, which resembles a small mass of rice grains. The stems are Template:Convert tall. The flowers are produced in the spring, nodding, Template:Convert, yellowish or greenish brown with a lot of yellow mottling to purplish black with little mottling, or yellow-green mottled with purple. The leaves are in whorls.<ref>Flora of North America Editorial Committee, e. 2002. Magnoliophyta: Liliidae: Liliales and Orchidales. Flora of North America 26: i–xxvi, 1–723.</ref>

There are two varieties:

• Fritillaria affinis var. affinis: This is the more common and widespread variant, occurring throughout the plant's range. It can be differentiated by its strong mottling pattern. Its bulb has 2 to 20 small scales.
• Fritillaria affinis var. tristulis: This variant is much less widespread; it is found only in Marin County on the north coast of California. It has a much more subtle mottling pattern and is generally darker overall. Its bulb has 60 to 100 small scales.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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Distribution and habitat

It can be found in California, Klamath Ranges, the north coast ranges, Cascade Ranges, north Sierra Nevada foothills, and the San Francisco Bay Area, north to British Columbia, Oregon, Washington, Montana and Idaho.<ref name="lobelia">Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families, Fritillaria affinis</ref>

Its habitat includes oak or pine scrub or open woods and thickets near the coast. It prefers low to mid-elevation, shade or part shade, dry summer dormancy, and good drainage.

Uses

The roots or bulbs can be eaten raw or cooked.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Historically, the bulbs of this plant were eaten steamed by Salish Native American peoples, including the Squamish, Sechelt, Halq'emeylem and Straits Salish.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

See also

• List of plants known as lily

External links

• Treatment from the Jepson Manual
• Harlow, Nora, Jakob, Kristin, and Raiche, Roger (2003) Wild Lilies, Irises, and Grasses. University of California Press. Template:ISBN.
• CalFlora Taxon Report

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