Fritillaria biflora var. ineziana

Hillsborough chocolate lily

Family: Liliaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.1

Hillsborough chocolate lily is a rare (CNPS 1B.1) California native perennial found in San Francisco Bay Area bioregion in serpentine soil habitats at elevations around 150 meters. Flowering from March to April, this plant produces bell-shaped brownish-purple flowers approximately 1.5 to 2 centimeters long with a distinctive ill-scented characteristic. Growing to a moderate height with delicate linear to narrowly lanceolate leaves 3 to 6 millimeters wide, it emerges sparsely in its serpentine landscape. Its leaves are slender and elongated, arranged in a sparse pattern typical of this rare lily variety. The plant represents a unique endemic variation adapted to the specialized serpentine soils of San Mateo County.

Habitat: Serpentine soil

Bloom period: Mar-Apr

Elevation: +- 150 m.

Bioregions: SnFrB (San Mateo Co.).

California counties: San Mateo, San Luis Obispo

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