Fritillaria pudica

Fritillaria pudica (yellow fritillary) is a small perennial [2] plant found in the sagebrush country in the western United States (Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming, very northern California, Nevada, northwestern Colorado, North Dakota and Utah) and Canada (Alberta and British Columbia).[3][4] It is a member of the lily family, or Liliaceae. Another common (but somewhat ambiguous) name is "yellow bells", since it has a bell-shaped yellow flower. It may be found in dryish, loose soil; it is amongst the first plants to flower after the snow melts, but the flower does not last very long; as the petals age, they turn a brick-red colour and begin to curl outward.[5][6][7][8][9] During his historic journey, Meriwether Lewis collected a specimen while passing through Idaho in 1806.[10]

Fritillaria pudica

Yellow fritillary
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Plantae
(unranked):
Angiosperms
(unranked):
Monocots
Order:
Liliales
Family:
Liliaceae
Genus:
Fritillaria
Species:
F. pudica
Binomial name
Fritillaria pudica
Synonyms[1]
  • Amblirion pudicum (Pursh) Raf.
  • Amblirion pudicum var. biflorum Torr.
  • Fritillaria dichroa Gand.
  • Fritillaria leucella Gand.
  • Fritillaria oregonensis Gand.
  • Fritillaria oreodoxa Gand.
  • Fritillaria utahensis Gand.
  • Fritillaria washingtonensis Gand.
  • Lilium pudicum Pursh
  • Ochrocodon pudicus (Pursh) Rydb.
  • Theresia pudica (Pursh) Klatt
  • Tulipa pudica (Pursh) Raf.

Fritillaria pudica produces a small bulb, which can be dug up and eaten fresh or cooked; it served Native Americans as a good source of food in times past, and is still eaten occasionally. Today these plants are not common, so digging and eating the bulbs is not encouraged. The plant is called [ˈsɨkni] in Sahaptin.

References
  1. The Plant List
  2. Barker, Joan. The Ultimate Guide To Wildflowers of North America, page 54, Parragon, 2013
  3. Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
  4. Biota of North America Project
  5. Jepson Manual Treatment
  6. Flora of North America
  7. Sprengel, Curt Polycarp Joachim. 1825. Systema Vegetabilium, editio decima sexta 2: 64. Fritillaria pudica
  8. Pursh, Frederick Traugott. 1814. Flora Americae Septentrionalis 1: 228, pl. 8, as Lilium pudicum
  9. Gandoger, Michel 1920. Bulletin de la Société Botanique de France. Paris vol 66 as Fritillaria dichroa, Fritillaria leucella, Fritillaria oregonensis, Fritillaria oreodoxa, Fritillaria utahensis, Fritillaria washingtonensis
  10. Schiemann, Donald Anthony, Wildflowers of Montana, page 134. Mountain Press Publishing Company, Missoula,2005.


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