Fritillaria biflora is a species of fritillary endemic to western California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

 in the chaparral and woodlands

California chaparral and woodlands

The California chaparral and woodlands is a terrestrial ecoregion of lower northern, central, and southern California and northwestern Baja California , located on the west coast of North America...

 ecoregion

Ecoregion

An ecoregion , sometimes called a bioregion, is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than an ecozone and larger than an ecosystem. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and contain characteristic, geographically distinct assemblages of natural...

, in serpentine soil

Serpentine soil

A serpentine soil is derived from ultramafic rocks, in particular serpentinite, a rock formed by the hydration and metamorphic transformation of ultramafic rock from the Earth's mantle....

 formations and hillside grassland

Grassland

Grasslands are areas where the vegetation is dominated by grasses and other herbaceous plants . However, sedge and rush families can also be found. Grasslands occur naturally on all continents except Antarctica...

 habitats.

Fritillaria biflora is called "Chocolate Lily" because its flowers can resemble the color of chocolate

Chocolate

Chocolate is a raw or processed food produced from the seed of the tropical Theobroma cacao tree. Cacao has been cultivated for at least three millennia in Mexico, Central and South America. Its earliest documented use is around 1100 BC...

, and range in dark brown, greenish purple, or yellowish green.

It should not be confused with Arthropodium strictum

Arthropodium strictum

Dichopogon strictus is a species of herbaceous perennial plants native to the Southern Hemisphere. It common name comes from the fact that its smell resembles the smell of chocolate. It should not be confused with Fritillaria biflora or the Kamchatka Fritillary Dichopogon strictus (Arthropodium...

, which is also called "chocolate lily" but which resembles the scent of chocolate rather than the color. The Kamchatka Fritillary (F. camschatcensis) is sometimes also called "chocolate lily", namely in Alaska.

See also

• California chaparral and woodlands
  California chaparral and woodlands
  The California chaparral and woodlands is a terrestrial ecoregion of lower northern, central, and southern California and northwestern Baja California , located on the west coast of North America...
  
   
• California montane chaparral and woodlands
  California montane chaparral and woodlands
  The California montane chaparral and woodlands ecoregion covers , including the mountains of the Transverse, Peninsular, and Santa Lucia Ranges of California. It is part of the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome, with cool, wet winters and hot, dry summers...