Taxon Report

Fritillaria lanceolata Pursh. var. tristulis A.L. Grant

Marin checker lily

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Fritillaria lanceolata var. tristulis, commonly known as Marin checker lily, is a perennial bulbiferous herb in the Liliaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Coastal bluff scrub, Coastal prairie, and Coastal scrub, growing at elevations from 15 to 150 meters. Fritillaria lanceolata var. tristulis is ranked 1B.1, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Seriously threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Fritillaria lanceolata Pursh. var. tristulis A.L. Grant
Common Name:	Marin checker lily
Family:	Liliaceae
Element Code:	PMLIL0V0P1
USDA Plants Symbol:
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial bulbiferous herb
Blooming Period: Feb-May	Feb-May
Elevation:	15-150 (50-490)
General Habitats:	Coastal bluff scrub, Coastal prairie, Coastal scrub
Microhabitat:
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	1B.1
Global Rank:	G5T2
State Rank:	S2
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:
CRPR Changes:

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	32
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	1
Good (B)	11
Fair (C)	11
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	9

Location


California Endemic: True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Marin (MRN)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Bolinas (3712286), Drakes Bay (3812218), Inverness (3812217), Point Bonita (3712275), Point Reyes NE (3812227), San Geronimo (3812216), San Rafael (3712285), Tomales (3812228)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	7
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	19	59 %
Grazing	7	21%
Non-native plant impacts	7	21%
Road/trail construction/maint.	4	12%
Foot traffic/trampling	3	9%
Other	3	9%
Recreational use (non-ORV)	2	6%
Development	1	3%

Notes



Plants seem not to set seed but reproduce by offsets.
Threats:
Some occurrences threatened by grazing and all threatened by small population size.
Taxonomy:
See F. affinis var. tristulis in The Jepson Manual. See Flora of California 1:(6)308 (1922) by W.L. Jepson for original description.

Selected References

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 30 October 2025].