Family:
Liliaceae
Fritillaria
affinis-click on image for whole view
Chocolate
Lily, green flowers
Original:
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Prints--200
edition, Giclee, Arches Watercolor paper, 11 by 13 inches, $40.00 each
Cards--5
by 7 inches, $3.00 each, $15.00 for pack of 8
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Named for their mottled perianth, these lilies occur from
the San Francisco Bay Area north to British Columbia, in moist coastal
prairies or foothill sites of the Sierra Nevada, Cascade, and Coast
ranges. Although usually thought of as having chocolate-colored flowers,
the tepals (perianth segments) of this species vary from deep purplish-brown
to yellow-green with tan mottling (as shown here). Another name for
the genus, rice-root, refers to the small bulblets that look like clustered
grains of rice. Both native and non-native chocolate lilies are in cultivation,
and can be used as a graceful treat to the spring-flowering suite of
bulbs in your garden. In the wild, do not pick the flowers or collect
them, as although they are not threatened or endangered, they are never
common and may be rare in your area. If you are lucky enough to encounter
them, take a peak into their enchanting nodding bells to see six bright
yellow stamens with a background of green and brown checker-painted
petal color.
