Fritillaria affinis (checker lily, chocolate lily) is a highly variable species in the genus Fritillaria, native to western North America, in California, Klamath Ranges, the north coast ranges, Cascade Ranges, north Sierra Nevada foothills, and the San Francisco Bay Area, north to British Columbia and Idaho. It is found at elevations ranging from sea level to 5,000 ft. It grows from a bulb, which resembles a small mass of rice grains. The stems are 10-120 centimeter tall. The flowers are produced in the spring, nodding, 1-4 centimeter, yellowish or greenish brown with a lot of yellow mottling to purplish black with little mottling, or yellow-green mottled with purple. The leaves are in whorls. Like many other native geophytes, it needs either a dry summer dormancy or very well drained soil. Given its wide range in the wild, it should be easy to grow. However, people report varying results in the garden.