Chocolate Lily
- Current Stock:
- 0
- Other Names:
- Rice Root, Riceroot, Checker Lily, Mission Bells, Chocolate Fritillary
- Latin Name:
- Fritillaria affinis var. affinis
The Chocolate Lily (Fritillaria affinis var. affinis), also called Rice Root, is a rare and beautiful Western wildflower — nodding, purple-and-green mottled "snakeskin" bells over whorls of lance-shaped leaves — hiding a sweet, edible bulb below.2, 4
NOTE: Native wildflowers are dormant (no leaves/flowers) Summer–Fall.
Edible & Medicinal Uses
The name "Rice Root" comes from the bulb: a main bulb ringed with many tiny bulblets like grains of rice. Both are edible, and best cooked (boiled or steamed), turning smooth, creamy, and sweet-mild (some report a bitter taste, but in our experience they're simply sweet). The immature seed-pods are edible too. This was a closely managed and important traditional root crop — harvesters ate the main bulbs and replanted the rice-like offsets to grow the next year's crop. (Don't mind the flower's faint odor — the bulbs themselves are sweet and pleasant.)1, 4
Ornamental Qualities
Subtle and captivating, Chocolate Lily nods with 1–several bells of chocolate-purple mottled with green and gold, 1–3 ft tall in spring — a connoisseur's wildflower for a woodland edge, rock garden, or meadow. Like our other native lilies it goes dormant by mid-summer. It's exquisite paired with Tiger Lily and spring ephemerals.1
Environment & Culture
Ecology: Native from British Columbia to California, Chocolate Lily grows on open slopes, grasslands, and open woods with good drainage, tolerating shade but preferring sun. Its early flowers offer nectar to emerging pollinators.1, 2
Culture: Rice-root is among the "root" foods carefully tended and harvested along the Northwest Coast and interior — dug, the main bulbs eaten and the offsets replanted for the future. We offer it with respect for that living knowledge and invite support for Indigenous-led restoration through our Charitable Giving page.4
In the Kitchen
If you harvest, take the finger-joint-sized main bulbs and return the rice-like bulblets to the soil to regrow. Rinse and boil or steam the bulbs until tender — creamy and mildly sweet, they're good in soups and stews or mashed, much like a delicate potato. The green immature seed-pods can be cooked as a small vegetable. (Growing and harvest details are on the Planting Guide tab.)
Attributes
- Native Range: British Columbia to California; open slopes, grasslands, woods1
- USDA Zones: ~5–93
- Light: Sun to part shade1
- Water: Moist in spring, dry in summer (summer-dormant)1
- Soil: Well-drained; open ground1
- Habit: Bulb perennial, 1–3 ft; mottled nodding bells, spring2
- Edible: Bulb & rice-like bulblets (cooked), immature seed-pods — sweet, creamy4
References
- Native Foods Nursery field notes; USDA NRCS Plant Guide, Fritillaria affinis.
- Pojar, J. & MacKinnon, A., Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast, 2014.
- USDA PLANTS Database, Fritillaria affinis.
- Turner & Kuhnlein, "Camas and Riceroot: Two Liliaceous Root Foods of the NW Coast," 1983.
Pot Sizing Guide
Planting Guide: Chocolate Lily (Fritillaria affinis var. affinis)
Tip: Give it well-drained ground that's moist in spring and dry in summer, and don't be alarmed when it vanishes by mid-summer — that's its natural dormancy.
When Your Plant Arrives
Open the box promptly and lift your plant out gently, holding the pot rather than the stem. Leave it in its biodegradable eco-pot for now — the roots are settled and don’t need disturbing yet. Give it a slow, thorough drink until water runs through the bottom, then set it somewhere bright but sheltered, out of harsh afternoon sun, drying wind, and frost. Let it rest and acclimate there for a few days before planting, so the move from our greenhouse to your garden is a gentle one. If anything doesn’t look right, please contact customer service within 7 days of delivery and we’ll take care of you.
Choosing a Site
Light: Sun to part shade.
Soil: Well-drained, open ground; never soggy.
Space: 4–6 in apart.
Planting Steps
Plant bulbs in fall, 3–4 in deep, on grit for drainage. Handle gently — the rice-like bulblets detach easily (plant those too).
Firm and water in.
Watering & Care
Establishment: Keep lightly moist through spring.
After establishment: Wants a dry summer dormancy — no summer water.
Maintenance: Leave undisturbed; it spreads by those “rice” bulblets.
Protection
Deer: Sometimes browsed; protect if needed.
Wildlife: Early nectar for pollinators.
Companions: Tiger lily, spring ephemerals, meadow natives.
Harvest Basics
Season: Dig after flowering as foliage matures, if harvesting.
Prep: The bulb is clustered with rice-like grains (“rice-root”) — boil or steam until sweet and creamy.
Sustainable harvest: Replant the rice-like bulblets and take only from an established stand; it is slow from seed, so most grow it for the striking checkered flowers.
