Fritillaria purdyi

Purdy's fritillary

Family: Liliaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 4.3

Purdy's fritillary is a California native perennial found in the northwestern bioregion on dry serpentine ridges at elevations of 400 to 2,100 meters. Flowering from March to June, this plant produces white flowers with distinctive purple spots and pink shading, nodding or spreading, with perianth parts 1.5 to 3 centimeters long and often recurved tips. Growing 1 to 4 decimeters tall with a large bulb, it develops 2 to 10 alternate leaves that are somewhat crowded near the ground. Its leaves are ovate, measuring 2.5 to 10 centimeters long, providing a distinctive backdrop for the elegantly marked flowers. The plant produces fruits with acute angles, completing its delicate seasonal display.

Habitat: dry ridges, generally on serpentine

Bloom period: Mar-Jun

Elevation: 400-2100 m

Bioregions: NW.

California counties: Napa, Lake, Humboldt, Glenn, Tehama, Mendocino, Trinity, San Francisco, Sonoma, Butte, Colusa

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