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November 10, 2009 : Fritillaria affinis
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Plant Family / Families: Liliaceae
Scientific Name and Author: Fritillaria affinis (Schult.& Schult.f.) Sealy
Name Location: north of Lytton, British Columbia, Canada / Cumberland Community Forest, Cumberland, British Columbia, Canada
It appears we've unintentionally started a series on native plants of British Columbia. Lindsay Bourque wrote today's entry, a good accompaniment to the previous entry on Fritillaria affinis. Lindsay was also the photographer for the third photograph showing the plant in habitat.
Chocolate lily is another species found solely within western North America (via Flora of North America: Fritillaria affinis).
Fritillaria affinis has long been known by the scientific name Fritillaria lanceolata, but the name has undergone relatively recent clarification (1980). When Pursh described Fritillaria lanceolata in 1813, he based it in part upon an illustration of Lilium camschatcence (which had already been renamed to Fritillaria camschatcensis in 1809). In other words, not only did the name Fritillaria lanceolata not conform to the general rules of taxonomic nomenclature, but it was also not originally (partially?) based on the species we now refer to as Fritillaria affinis. However, Fritillaria lanceolata became commonly used, for some reason. The name has now been clarified by Josef Robert Sealy, who credited Josef August Schultes (who first recognized the error).
The bulbs of Fritillaria affinis resemble tight clusters of white rice and were eaten by virtually all northwest coastal peoples of North America. The bulbs grow relatively close to the surface and are easily dug-up. Processing methods included cooking by steaming in a cedarwood box or boiling followed by mashing into a paste.
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at November 10, 2009 10:33 PM
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Posted by: Karthik at November 11, 2009 12:29 AM
maybe the pollinators these little ladies are after hang out down low and they're just smiling down over them lol
Posted by: Jason at November 11, 2009 5:38 AM
Daniel - Thanks for the clarification (?) of the name. I still think lanceolata is more appropriate because it is descriptive of the leaves.Fritillaria comes from the Latin Fritillus which means "a dice box" - a cup in which dice were shaken and which was typically painted in a pattern of colored squares.The drooping flowers protect the pollen from rain.
A common name for the plant is Skunk Lily because of it's peculiar semen-like odor which becomes overpowering indoors but is barely noticeable outside. The look and smell of the flowers is that of dead meat which attracts pollinating flys.
In spite of all that, Chocolate Lily has long been one of my favorite BC wildflowers.
Posted by: Ron Long at November 11, 2009 9:00 AM
Fascinating write-up, and delicious photos. Thanks.
Posted by: van at November 11, 2009 9:51 AM
Total nostalgia - first the Cypripedium montanum, now the Fritillaria affinis (which I knew as lanceolata) - flowers from the 'secret places' of my childhood in B.C.'s North Okanagan valley! If the follow-up is Sisyrinchium angustifolium (a Blue-eyed grass) I'll think someone was following me!
Posted by: KathyD at November 11, 2009 10:48 AM
Thank you for these 3 lovely photos. I grow checkered lilies, or guinea flowers as they are sometimes called. (They seed down prolifically in my rock garden.) I didn't realize that anything like them was native to North America!
Posted by: Connie at November 11, 2009 11:49 AM
thank you life is full of natures wonderments
Posted by: elizabeth a airhart at November 11, 2009 2:44 PM
The Chocolate Lily also grows in Alaska, at least in the Kenai Peninsula area. I always marveled at its persistence in such a harsh climate.
Posted by: Alice Dionne at November 12, 2009 10:19 AM
Alice, I just wanted to point out that the plant growing in the Kenai Peninsula is a different Fritillaria species (also called chocolate lily, though), Fritillaria camschatcensis. It is my favourite North American species that I've seen in the wild so far, having seen it in that very location (as well as north of Wasilla) last year.
Posted by: Daniel Mosquin 
at November 18, 2009 5:23 PM
the chocolate lily is a really pretty flower. But did you know that it comes from the lily family. I think that is cool because lily's are my favorite flower in the USA.
Posted by: Kristina at May 22, 2010 8:48 PM
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The drooping flowers made me think that the plant is feeling sad :-(
Any reasons for the flowers to be facing down? I thought plants always advertised themselves to the pollinators by displaying their flowers prominently.