Common Name: Chocolate Lily

General Information

Fritillaria affinis is a perennial plant growing from an underground bulb comprising 2 - 5 large scales plus up to 50 smal scales. The flowering stem is around 10 - 120cm tall[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food. A popular native food, it was harvested in quantity and often traded with other tribes[]. The plant is also grown as an ornamental.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

, ,

Range

Western N. America - British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, California

Habitat

Prairies and grass bluffs to woodland and coniferous forests, usually on leafy soils overlying a rather stony sub-soil; at elevations from sea level to 1,500 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Habit	Bulb
Height	0.60 m
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Fritillaria affinis is a plant of mediterranean-type climates, with most rain in the winter and early spring whilst the summers are hot and dry; it is found at low to medium elevations.
A woodland plant, preferring light soils[]. It is best grown in a well-drained sandy woodland soil, and strongly dislikes summer wet[, , ]. Plants are best grown in a bulb frame and kept rather dry in summer[]. Water should be withheld in summer or hot spells[].
A very ornamental and polymorphic plant[]. The variety Fritillaria affinis var. tristulis (A.L.Grant ex Jeps.) ined. is a triploid form that is exceptionally large flowered, robust and more easily cultivated than the species[].
The edible bulbs can be harvested before flowering in the spring, or after flowering in late summer or autumn. They grow relatively close to the surface and are easily extracted[].
Plants flower within 3 - 5 years from seed[].

Edible Uses

Bulb - raw, cooked or dried for winter use[, ]. Rich in starch, the bulb is best used in the autumn[]. The plant has a small bulb surrounded by rice-like bulblets[]. Both bulb and bulblets are used, when cooked they are tender and delicate, resembling real rice except for having a slightly bitter taste[]. The roots were a staple food for some native North American Indian tribes[].

Immature seedpods - raw or cooked. A bitter flavour[].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as ripe in a well-drained, sandy or gritty soil in a cold frame, it should germinate in the spring[]. Protect from frost[]. Stored seed should be sown as soon as possible and can take a year or more to germinate[]. Sow the seed quite thinly to avoid the need to prick out the seedlings. Once they have germinated, give them an occasional liquid feed to ensure that they do not suffer mineral deficiency. Once they die down at the end of their second growing season, divide up the small bulbs, planting 2 - 3 to an 8cm deep pot. Grow them on for at least another year in light shade in the greenhouse before planting them out whilst dormant.
Division of offsets in August[]. The larger bulbs can be planted out direct into their permanent positions, but it is best to pot up the smaller bulbs and grow them on in a cold frame for a year before planting them out in the autumn.
Bulb scales[].