Taxon Report

Fritillaria falcata (Jeps.) D. E. Beetle

talus fritillary

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Fritillaria falcata, commonly known as talus fritillary, is a perennial bulbiferous herb in the Liliaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Chaparral, Cismontane woodland, and Lower montane coniferous forest, growing at elevations from 300 to 1525 meters. Fritillaria falcata is ranked 1B.2, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Moderately threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Fritillaria falcata (Jeps.) D. E. Beetle
Common Name:	talus fritillary
Family:	Liliaceae
Element Code:	PMLIL0V070
USDA Plants Symbol:	FRFA2
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial bulbiferous herb
Blooming Period: Mar-May	Mar-May
Elevation:	300-1525 (985-5005)
General Habitats:	Chaparral, Cismontane woodland, Lower montane coniferous forest
Microhabitat:	Serpentine, Talus (often)
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	1B.2
Global Rank:	G2
State Rank:	S2
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:	BLM_S; IUCN_EN; SB_CalBG/RSABG; SB_SBBG; USFS_S
CRPR Changes:

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	16
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	7
Good (B)	0
Fair (C)	0
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	9

Location


California Endemic: True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Alameda (ALA), Monterey (MNT), San Benito (SBT), Santa Clara (SCL), Stanislaus (STA)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Cedar Mtn. (3712155), Copper Mtn. (3712143), Eylar Mtn. (3712145), Idria (3612046), Mt. Boardman (3712144), San Benito Mtn. (3612036), Ventana Cones (3612136)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	5
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	4	25 %
ORV activity	2	12%
Other	1	6%
Over-collecting/poaching	1	6%
Road/trail construction/maint.	1	6%
Feral pigs	1	6%

Notes



Threatened by vehicles. See Flora of California 1(6):309 (1922) by W.L. Jepson for original description, and Madroño 7(5):133-159 (1944) for revised nomenclature.
Threats:

Taxonomy:

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 29 October 2025].