Yellow Bell

Yellow Bells bloom in April at lower elevations and well into June higher up, as single plants, or in small groups. Narrow, twisted leaves appear first, followed by six-tepaled, yellow-orange flowers. The species name, pudica, means “modest,” for the shy, downward facing flowers. Fritillaria was derived from a Latin word for “dice-box,” presumably for the seed-containing capsule (right). Lewis and Clark collected the plant on the Clearwater River in 1806.