Key to Fritillaria

View taxon page for Fritillaria

(For a list of species in Fritillaria, use the above link.)

Jepson Manual glossary definitions can be seen by moving your cursor over words underlined with dots.

1. Style 

entire 

Having margins that are continuous and smooth (i.e., without teeth, lobes, etc.).

or with 

lobes 

1. A major expansion or bulge, such as on the margin of a leaf, sepal, or petal, or on the surface of an ovary. 2. The free tips of otherwise fused structures, such as sepals or petals; larger than teeth.

< 1.5 mm

2. Leaves in 1–3 whorls of 4–8 below, those subtending flowers 

alternate 

1. Arranged singly, often spirally, along an axis - e.g., one leaf per node. 2. Occurring in different ranks, appearing to be between, not directly above or below, as 'stamens alternate petals'.

..... F. brandegeei

2' Leaves alternate to subopposite

3. Perianth 0.8–2.2 cm, yellow to orange; ne California ..... F. pudica

3' Perianth 2–3.5 cm, white to pink or purple; not ne CA

4. Flowers nodding, fragrant, bell-shaped, perianth parts white to pink, oblanceolate, tips 

acute 

Having a short-tapered, sharp tip, the sides convex or straight and converging at less than a right angle.

to short-tapered, 

spreading 

Oriented more or less perpendicularly to the axis of attachment; often, more or less horizontal.

to 

recurved 

Gradually curved downward or backward.

; s SNF ..... F. striata

4' Flowers spreading to ± 

erect 

Upright; vertically oriented.

, nodding in age, not notably fragrant, not bell-shaped, perianth parts pink-purple, obovate, tips rounded to acute, not recurved; NCoRI, n SNF, edges of ScV ..... F. pluriflora

1' Style with branches > 1.5 mm

5. Perianth scarlet to ± purple, generally mottled yellow and/or purple; tips strongly recurved or spreading

6. Perianth bell-shaped, tips spreading, nectary 1/2 perianth ..... F. gentneri

6' Perianth tubular, tips generally strongly recurved, nectary 1/5–1/4 perianth ..... F. recurva

5' Perianth not both scarlet to ± purple and mottled, tips generally not recurved (generally recurved or flared in Fritillaria eastwoodiae)

7. Leaves > 10 or in whorls of 2–8 on lower stem, not sickle-shaped

8. Flowers spreading to ± erect; upper leaves ± 1/3–1/2 lowest 

leaf 

Organ arising from a stem, generally composed of a stalk (petiole) and a flat, expanded, green, photosynthetic area (blade); distinguished from a leaflet by the presence in its axil of a bud, branch, thorn, or flower; sometimes with lateral, basal appendages (stipules); either simple (toothed, lobed, or dissected but not divided into leaflets) or compound (divided into leaflets).

; leaves often >= inflorescence ..... F. pinetorum (2)

8' Flowers generally nodding (± spreading); upper leaves generally ± = lowest leaf; leaves generally < inflorescence

9. Perianth purple-brown, mottled yellow or white; leaves 2–3 per 

node 

Position on a stem from which one or more structures (especially leaves, buds, branches, or flowers) arise.

; 1000–3200 m, especially inland mtns ..... F. atropurpurea (2)

9' Perianth dark purple, green-white, green-yellow, or red to ± black; leaves generally >= 3 per node; < 1800 m, especially coastal mtns (notable exceptions including Fritillaria micrantha, Fritillaria eastwoodiae)

10. Perianth dull green-yellow, dark-spotted; nectary ± diamond-shaped to 

ovate 

Egg-shaped (i.e., widest below the middle) in two dimensions (i.e., in one plane), as a leaf.

..... F. ojaiensis

10' Perianth green-white, pale green or ± green or yellow to red or dark purple to ± black, mottled (especially Fritillaria affinis); nectary 

lanceolate 

Narrowly elongate, widest in the basal half, often tapered to an acute tip.

or narrower

11. Perianth pale green to ± black (dark purple), not mottled; nectary ± 1/2 perianth; small bulb scales 0–4; SCoRO(?), SCoRI (Monterey, San Benito, San Luis Obispo cos.) ..... F. viridea

11' Perianth green-white or -yellow to red or ± purple, mottled or not; nectary < 1/2 perianth (1/2–2/3 in Fritillaria affinis); small bulb scales generally >= 10 (< 10 in Fritillaria affinis); NW, CaR, SN, CW

12. Perianth generally > 2 cm, generally clearly yellow- or purple-mottled, margins wavy – NW, CaRF, n SNF, CW (except SCoRI) ..... F. affinis

12' Perianth generally < 2 cm, not (or faintly) mottled, margins not wavy

13. Style branches not or ± recurved; perianth ± green to yellow to red, tips generally recurved or flared; nectary green, gold, or yellow; KR, CaR (Shasta, Tehama, Butte cos.) ..... F. eastwoodiae

13' Style branches recurved; perianth ± purple to green-white, tips not recurved or flared; nectary green-white, dotted purple; SN ..... F. micrantha

7' Leaves <= 10 or alternate (crowded), occasionally sickle-shaped

14. Perianth clearly mottled (white with purple spots or lines and pink shading in Fritillaria purdyi); small bulb scales generally > 10 (0–3 in Fritillaria purdyi)

15. Leaves sickle-shaped; flowers ± erect; SnFrB, SCoRI (San Benito Co.) ..... F. falcata

15' Leaves generally not sickle-shaped; flowers nodding or spreading (spreading to ± erect in Fritillaria pinetorum); not SnFrB, SCoRI (San Benito Co.)

16. Leaves 2–10, ovate, sickle-shaped or not; perianth white, spotted or lined purple; small bulb scales 0–3 ..... F. purdyi

16' Leaves generally > 4, not sickle-shaped, perianth purple-brown, mottled yellow or white; small bulb scales 45–50

17. Flowers nodding; upper leaves ± <= lowest cauline leaf; cauline leaves generally < inflorescence; KR, CaR, SN, GB, DMtns ..... F. atropurpurea (2)

17' Flowers spreading to ± erect; upper leaves ± 1/3–1/2 lowest cauline leaf; cauline leaves often >= inflorescence; c SNH (Mono, Inyo cos.), Teh, TR ..... F. pinetorum (2)

14' Perianth not clearly mottled; small bulb scales < 10

18. Leaves 2–4, sickle-shaped ..... F. glauca

18' Leaves generally > 4, not sickle-shaped

19. Nectary an obscure narow band 1/2–2/3 perianth; perianth white, striped green ..... F. liliacea

19' Nectary a prominent narrow band 2/3 to = perianth; perianth brown, purple-brown, or green-purple at least adaxially

20. Perianth green-white or yellow abaxially, purple-brown adaxially; flower ill-scented ..... F. agrestis

20' Perianth dark brown, green-purple or yellow-green; flower ill-scented or not ..... F. biflora

21. Leaves narrowly ovate to 

oblong 

Longer than wide, with nearly parallel sides; wider than linear.

; flower not ill-scented ..... var. biflora

21' Leaves 

linear 

Elongate, with nearly parallel sides; narrower than elliptic or oblong.

to narrowly lanceolate; flower ill-scented ..... var. ineziana

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