Fritillaria affinis

Secure  (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Liliales
Family: Liliaceae
Subfamily: Lilioideae
Tribe: Lilieae
Genus: Fritillaria
Species:
F. affinis
Binomial name
Fritillaria affinis
Synonyms[2]
  • Fritillaria lanceolata Pursh
  • Fritillaria mutica Lindl.
  • Fritillaria lunellii A.Nelson
  • Fritillaria phaeanthera Purdy
  • Fritillaria eximia Eastw.

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 10–120 centimetres (4–47 inches) tall. The flowers are produced in the spring, nodding, 1–4 cm (1⁄2–1+1⁄2 in), 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.[3]

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.[4]

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.[5]

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.[6] Historically, the bulbs of this plant were eaten steamed by Salish Native American peoples, including the Squamish, Sechelt, Halq'emeylem and Straits Salish.[7]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Fritillaria Affinis". NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe. Retrieved 2018-04-01.
  2. ↑ Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families, synonyms for Fritillaria affinis var. affinis
  3. ↑ Flora of North America Editorial Committee, e. 2002. Magnoliophyta: Liliidae: Liliales and Orchidales. Flora of North America 26: i–xxvi, 1–723.
  4. ↑ "North American Fritillarias". Pacific Bulb Society. 29 June 2016. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
  5. ↑ Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families, Fritillaria affinis
  6. ↑ Benoliel, Doug (2011). Northwest Foraging: The Classic Guide to Edible Plants of the Pacific Northwest (Rev. and updated ed.). Seattle, WA: Skipstone. p. 65. ISBN 978-1-59485-366-1. OCLC 668195076.
  7. ↑ Pojar, Jim; MacKinnon, Andy (1994). Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast: Washington, Oregon, British Columbia, and Alaska. Vancouver, BC: Lone Pine Publishing. p. 110. ISBN 1-55105-040-4.
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