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Native Plant Propagation Guidelines:
forbs

Fritillaria affinis var. affinis (chocolate lily)

Category: 
forbs

photo by Lyndia Terre

Perennial glabrous herb to 80 cm tall, from a scaly bulb with numerous rice-like bulblets. Leaves in 1-2 whorls of 3-5, sometimes alternate, lance-shaped, 5-15 cm long. Flowers dark purple mottled with greenish-yellow, bell-shaped, to 4 cm long, nodding; single or in clusters of two to five, terminal. Fruits upright six-angled capsules, with wings on the angles. Many flat seeds (Pojar and MacKinnon, 1994). Photo by Lyndia Terre.

Scientific Name: 

Fritillaria affinis (Schult.) Sealy var. affinis (F. lanceolata Pursh)

 

 

Family: 
Liliaceae
English Name: 
chocolate lily
Other Names: 
checker lily, rice-root

Geographical Range and Habitat Requirements

Ecological Setting: 

Prairies and grassy bluffs to woodlands and coniferous forests, from near sea level to nearly sub-alpine. Along the coast and inland along the major river valleys (Pojar and MacKinnon, 1994).

Soil Texture: 

Well drained Moder and Mull humus forms (Klinka et al., 1989).

Nutrients: 

Nitrogen rich soils (Klinka et al., 1989).

Soil Reaction and Salinity: 

Slightly acid soils.

Moisture Regime: 

Dry to mesic, water-shedding and water-receiving sites (Klinka et al., 1989).

Shade Tolerance: 

Shade intolerant (Klinka et al., 1989)

Successional Status: 

Climax species in meadow-like communities.

BEC Zone and GOE Community Status: 

Component of Garry oak-camas-white fawn lily meadows.

Uses

Site Rehabilitation: 
n/a
Wildlife: 
n/a
Landscaping: 

Much-admired garden ornamental. Use in a sunny border or meadow setting with common camas, white fawn lily and shooting-star. In shadier conditions, mix with red columbine and false Solomon's seal. Plants may go dormant for a year or two after flowering so, to ensure some flowers every year, plant in multiples (Pettinger and Costanzo, 2002).

First Nations: 

Bulbs were steamed in pits and eaten. Said to be tender and delicate, resembling rice but slightly bitter (Pojar and MacKinnon 1994).

Other Uses: 
n/a

Seed Propagation

Flowering Time: 

April-May

Fruit Ripening Time: 

August

Seed Collection Time: 

August

Crop Intervals: 

Annually

Number of Seeds per Kilogram: 
n/a
Seed Viability: 
n/a
Fruit and Seed Collection and Extraction: 

Pick seed when capsule is no longer green and begins to split along the seams. Pick into a collection bag, allow drying, and then shaking to release the seed (King, 2001).

Seed Storage: 

Store seeds dry in sealed containers at 5º C. Viability under storage is unknown.

Fruit/Seed Dormancy and Treatment: 

Sow seeds in fall in outdoor nursery flats to allow seeds to break dormancy naturally, or sow stored seeds in spring after three-month cold stratification. Flats may show no germination for up to six months. Protect seedlings from bright sun during mid-summer. Hold seed flats in a shady spot until the fall of the second year before transplanting. Plants may take four to six years to produce flowers (Pettinger and Costanzo, 2002).

Vegetative Propagation

In late summer to early fall (when the plant is dormant), chocolate lily can be propagated from bulb scales or bulb off-sets removed from the mother plant after die-back (King, 2001).

Outplanting Characteristics and Requirements

Plant in well-drained, sandy soils, rich in humus (Kruckeberg, 1996). Space plants 15 to 30 cm for best effects (S. Bastin personal communication).

Seed and Cutting Propagation Techniques

n/a

Additional Information and Photos

For more information and pictures, visit the E-Flora BC website at www.eflora.bc.ca.

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