''Fritillaria micrantha'', the brown fritillary or brown bells, is a
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
n species of flowering plant in the lily family Liliaceae.
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Description
It grows an erect stem up to in height. The long, straight, very narrow leaves grow in whorls
A whorl ( or ) is an individual circle, oval, volution or equivalent in a whorled pattern, which consists of a spiral or multiple concentric objects (including circles, ovals and arcs).
Whorls in nature
File:Photograph and axial plane floral d ...
about the lower stem and in pairs near the top. The stem has one or more pendent, nodding flowers at each node. The flower has six narrow tepal
A tepal is one of the outer parts of a flower (collectively the perianth). The term is used when these parts cannot easily be classified as either sepals or petals. This may be because the parts of the perianth are undifferentiated (i.e. of very ...
s, each long. They are variable in appearance but are usually purplish to greenish-yellow and often mottled
Mottle is a pattern of irregular marks, spots, streaks, blotches or patches of different shades or colours. It is commonly used to describe the surface of plants or the skin of animals. In plants, mottling usually consists of yellowish spots o ...
or edged with color. The fruit capsule is winged.[Flora of North America; ''Fritillaria micrantha'']
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Distribution
This wildflower is native to the Sierra Nevada
The Sierra Nevada () is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primarily ...
of California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
, USA, where it is a common resident of dry mountain slopes, and to the foothills west of the main range. There is also one report of the species in the Diablo Range
The Diablo Range is a mountain range in the California Coast Ranges subdivision of the Pacific Coast Ranges in northern California, United States. It stretches from the eastern San Francisco Bay area at its northern end to the Salinas Valley are ...
in San Benito County.Calflora taxon report, ''Fritillaria micrantha'' A.A. Heller brown bells, brown fritillary
/ref>
References
External links
Jepson Manual Treatment - ''Fritillaria micrantha''United States Department of Agriculture Plants Profile; ''Fritillaria micrantha''''Fritillaria micrantha'' - Calphotos, University of California @ Berkeley, Photo gallery
micrantha
Endemic flora of California
Plants described in 1857
Flora of the Sierra Nevada (United States)
Flora without expected TNC conservation status
{{liliales-stub