Kamchatka Fritillary

Coastal Native Americans used bulbs of this species for food. Often the bulbs were dried and later added to other foods, especially soups and fish dishes.

Bulb scales: large 6–15; small 30–190. Stem 2–6 dm. Leaves in 1–3 whorls of 5–9 leaves per node proximally, alternate distally, 4–10 cm, usually shorter than inflorescence; blade narrowly to broadly lanceolate; distal leaves usually ± equaling proximalmost leaf. Flowers spreading to nodding, odor unpleasant; tepals dark greenish brown to brownish purple, sometimes streaked or spotted with yellow, oblong-elliptic to elliptic-obovate, 2–3 cm, apex not recurved; nectaries obscure, same color as tepals, linear, ± equaling tepal length; style obviously branched for 2/3 its length, branches longer than 1.5 mm. Capsules cylindric-ovoid. 2n = 24, 36.

B.C.; Alaska, Oreg., Wash.; Asia (Japan, Russia).

Flowering May--Jul.

Moist areas from near tideflats to mountain meadows; 0--1000m.

Lilium camschatcense Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 1: 303. 1753