Fritillaria Biflora

Fritillaria biflora is the Californian chocolate lily, a compact bulb of sunny grassland and coastal ranges. One to five waxy, nodding bells rise above glaucous leaves, their outer surfaces coloured deep chocolate brown to purple-black and their interiors often lit by green or golden tones. The sombre flowers become luminous when viewed from below, where the contrasting stamens and nectaries are revealed. Adapted to cool wet winters and dry summers, it is a choice subject for a bulb frame or raised gravel bed and rewards close inspection rather than distant mass display.