Fritillaria pluriflora
Encyclopedia
Fritillaria pluriflora is a rare species of fritillary
Fritillary
Fritillaria is a genus of about 100 species of bulbous plants in the family Liliaceae, native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The name is derived from the Latin term for a dice-box , and probably refers to the checkered pattern, frequently of chocolate-brown and greenish yellow,...

 known by the common name adobe lily.

This wildflower is mainly limited to northern California
Northern California
Northern California is the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. The San Francisco Bay Area , and Sacramento as well as its metropolitan area are the main population centers...

, but it may exist in southern Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...

. It grows in the adobe clay
Adobe
Adobe is a natural building material made from sand, clay, water, and some kind of fibrous or organic material , which the builders shape into bricks using frames and dry in the sun. Adobe buildings are similar to cob and mudbrick buildings. Adobe structures are extremely durable, and account for...

 soils of the foothills and low mountains in the area.

Description

Fritillaria pluriflora produces an erect stem reaching heights between ten and fifty centimeters. It has up to ten thick, long, oval-shaped leaves with wavy margins, most of which are clustered at ground level. The nodding flower has bright pink tepal
Tepal
Tepals are elements of the perianth, or outer part of a flower, which include the petals or sepals. The term tepal is more often applied specifically when all segments of the perianth are of similar shape and color, or undifferentiated, which is called perigone...

s each one to four centimeters long. At the center of the flower is a pinkish to yellowish nectary
Gynoecium
Gynoecium is most commonly used as a collective term for all carpels in a flower. A carpel is the ovule and seed producing reproductive organ in flowering plants. Carpels are derived from ovule-bearing leaves which evolved to form a closed structure containing the ovules...

 and bright yellow anthers
Stamen
The stamen is the pollen producing reproductive organ of a flower...

.

External links

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