About Fritillaria atropurpurea Nutt.
Fritillaria atropurpurea Nutt. produces stems 10 to 20 centimeters (3 7/8 to 7 7/8 inches) tall, which carry narrow, pointed leaves. Its flowers are nodding, with spreading tepals that each measure one to two centimeters long. The tepals are yellowish or cream, marked with heavy dark purple-brown mottling. At the center of the flower is a central style, surrounded by stamens that bear very large yellow anthers. This species resembles Fritillaria pinetorum, but differs in that Fritillaria atropurpurea has nodding flowers, while Fritillaria pinetorum has erect blooms. Fritillaria atropurpurea is native to the Western United States. It grows most often under trees in moldy leaf litter, at elevations between 1000 and 3200 meters. It has the widest distribution of any fritillary in North America, ranging from California, Arizona and New Mexico in the south northward to Oregon and North Dakota.
