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Taxon  Report  
Fritillaria atropurpurea  Nutt.
Mountain fritillary,   Purple fritillary,   Spotted fritillary,   Spotted mountain bells
Fritillaria atropurpurea is a perennial herb that is native to California, and also found elsewhere in North America and beyond.
Siskiyou Del Norte Modoc Humboldt Shasta Lassen Trinity Plumas Tehama Butte Mendocino Glenn Sierra Yuba Lake Nevada Colusa Placer Sutter El Dorado Yolo Alpine Napa Sonoma Sacramento Mono Amador Solano Calaveras Tuolumne San Joaquin Marin Contra Costa Alameda Santa Cruz Mariposa Madera San Francisco San Mateo Merced Fresno Stanislaus Santa Clara Inyo San Benito Tulare Kings Monterey San Bernardino San Luis Obispo Kern Santa Barbara Ventura Los Angeles Riverside Orange San Diego Imperial
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Bloom Period
Genus: Fritillaria
Family: Liliaceae  
Category: angiosperm  
PLANTS group:Monocot
Jepson eFlora section: monocot

Communities: Yellow Pine Forest, Red Fir Forest, Lodgepole Forest, Subalpine Forest
Name Status:
Accepted by JEF + PLANTS

Alternate Names:
PLANTSFritillaria adamantina
JEFFritillaria atropurpurea var. gracillima
JEF + PLANTSFritillaria gracillima
Information about  Fritillaria atropurpurea from other sources
Nursery availability from CNPLX
This plant is available commercially.
Jepson eFlora

USDA PLANTS Profile (FRAT)

Photos on Calflora

Photos on CalPhotos

Google Images

Photos on iNaturalist

ID Tips on PlantID.net

[Wikipedia] Description & Distribution: Fritillaria atropurpurea is a species of fritillary known by several common names, including spotted fritillary, purple fritillary, spotted mountainbells, spotted missionbells, and leopard lily. Distribution Fritillaria atropurpurea is native to the Western United States, where it is often found beneath trees in moldy leaf litter at elevations of 1000 to 3200 m. This species has the widest distribution of fritillaries in North America, growing from California, Arizona and New Mexico north to Oregon and North Dakota. Description Fritillaria atropurpurea stems are 10 to 20 cm in height and bear narrow, pointed leaves. The nodding flower has spreading tepals each one or two centimeters long which are yellowish or cream colored with heavy dark purple-brown mottling. The center of the flower has a central style surrounded by stamens with very large yellow anthers. This species is similar to Fritillaria pinetorum, but it has nodding flowers compared with the latter's erect blooms. (contributed by Mary Ann Machi)


Suggested Citation
Calflora: Information on California plants for education, research and conservation, with data contributed by public and private institutions and individuals. [web application]. 2024. Berkeley, California: The Calflora Database [a non-profit organization]. Available: https://www.calflora.org/   (Accessed: 03/28/2024).