Common Name: Yellow Fritillary

General Information

Fritillaria pudica is a perennial plant growing from an underground bulb comprising 4 - 5 large scales plus around 85 - 120 smal scales. The flowering stem is around 7 - 30cm tall[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food. It is grown as an ornamental.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

, ,

Range

Western N. America - British Columbia and Alberta, south to California, Nevada, Utah and Colorado

Habitat

Grassland and sagebrush deserts to mixed coniferous forests, also on stony mountain slopes; at elevations up to 2,100 metres[, , , ],

Properties

Edibility Rating
Habit	Bulb
Height	0.20 m
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Fritillaria pudicais a plant of the temperate zone, growing in areas with cold winters and warm, dry summers. The plants are usually covered with snow in winter, with much of the moisture required for growth coming from the melt water.
This is a difficult plant to grow unless similar conditions to its natural habitat can be provided. It is best grown on a gritty well-drained sunny bank[]. Plants must be kept dry in the summer[, ].
A very variable[] and ornamental plant[], but it is not easy to grow outdoors, though it has lived a long time in a bulb frame[].
Flowers are produced in 4 - 6 years from seed[].
The bulb produces bulbils freely[].

Edible Uses

Bulb - raw or cooked[, , ]. It can also be dried for later use[]. Commonly eaten as a food by the native North Americans, the small bulbs were eaten raw and the larger ones cooked[]. Rich in starch, it is best used in the autumn[]. The raw bulb tastes like potatoes, when cooked it tastes like rice[]. It can be eaten as a vegetable or can be added to soups etc[].

The green seedpods can be eaten raw or cooked but are bitter[]. A delicious 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[].