logo Calflora, a 501c3 non-profit
Taxon  Report  
Fritillaria micrantha  A. Heller
Brown bells,   Brown fritillary
Fritillaria micrantha is a perennial herb that is native to California, and endemic (limited) to California.
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
DJJJASONAFMM

Bloom Period
Genus: Fritillaria
Family: Liliaceae  
Category: angiosperm  
PLANTS group:Monocot
Jepson eFlora section: monocot

Habitat: slopes

Communities: Yellow Pine Forest, Red Fir Forest

Name Status:
Accepted by JEF + PLANTS + POWO

Alternate Names:
PLANTSFritillaria multiflora
PLANTSFritillaria parviflora
PLANTSFritillaria purpusii
Information about  Fritillaria micrantha from other sources
Nursery availability from CNPLX
Commercial availability unknown.
Jepson eFlora

USDA PLANTS Profile (FRMI)

Photos on Calflora

Photos on CalPhotos

Google Images

Photos on iNaturalist

ID Tips on PlantID.net

[Wikipedia] Description, Distribution: Fritillaria micrantha, the brown fritillary or brown bells, is a Californian species of flowering plant in the lily family Liliaceae.[3] Description It grows an erect stem up to 1 to1.5 m (3.3 to 4.9 ft) in height. The long, straight, very narrow leaves grow in whorls 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 tepals, each 1 to 2 cm (0.39 to 0.79 in) long. They are variable in appearance but are usually purplish to greenish-yellow and often mottled or edged with color. The fruit capsule is winged.[3] Distribution This wildflower is native to the Sierra Nevada of California, 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 in San Benito County.[4] (link added 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: 12/16/2024).