Fritillaria atropurpurea

Mountain fritillary

Family: Liliaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Mountain fritillary is a California native perennial found in the Klamath Ranges, northern California, Sierra Nevada, Great Basin, and Desert Mountains in leaf mold under trees at elevations of 1,000 to 3,200 meters. Flowering from April to July, this plant produces distinctive nodding flowers with purple-brown perianth parts mottled with yellow or white, measuring 1 to 2.5 centimeters long. Growing with stems 1 to 6 decimeters tall, it emerges from a large bulb with 2 to 5 scales. Its leaves are arranged 2 to 3 per node, measuring 4 to 12 centimeters long and ranging from linear to lanceolate in shape. The plant produces fruits with acute angles, showcasing its unique botanical characteristics.

Habitat: Common. Often in leaf mold under trees

Bloom period: Apr-Jul

Elevation: 1000-3200 m

Bioregions: KR, CaR, SN, GB, DMtns

California counties: Siskiyou, Shasta, Lassen, Modoc, Nevada, Inyo, San Bernardino, Fresno, Alpine, Tuolumne, Sierra, Plumas, Mono, El Dorado, Tulare, Placer, Butte, Kern, Lake, Madera, Mariposa, Trinity, Tehama, Humboldt, Calaveras, Ventura, Colusa, Mendocino

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.