Flower profile
Rice root
Fritillaria camschatcensis
Rice root (Fritillaria camschatcensis) is a flowering plant in the Liliaceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly June–July across the U.S.
Rice root is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. In Alaska it's most often seen in bloom in June–July.
*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.
On our lists for: Alaska
Quick look
Fritillaria camschatcensis is a species of flowering plant native to northeastern Asia and northwestern North America, including northern Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, Alaska, northern Japan, and the Russian Far East. It has many common names, including Kamchatka fritillary and Kamchatka lily.
- It belongs to the Liliaceae family. iNaturalist
- USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a perennial life cycle. USDA PLANTS
- USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 3 states. USDA PLANTS
- NatureServe lists it as native to Alaska. NatureServe
- In Alaska, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in June–July. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 1,877 research-grade sightings of it in Alaska, ranking #16 among the 121 flowers on our Alaska list. iNaturalist
When does it bloom?
In Alaska, most flowering sightings come in June–July.
Conservation status
- Federal (U.S. ESA)
- Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. USFWS ECOS
- NatureServe global
- G5 Secure worldwide. NatureServe
- Alaska
- No list Alaska has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Alaska ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Alaska.
- Rare elsewhere
- Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: OR (S1), WA (S2). (S1 critically imperiled, S2 imperiled, SH possibly extirpated, SX presumed extirpated.)
Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.
Can you eat it?
None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.
It isn't on the ASPCA plant list.
🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.
Where does it grow?
USDA PLANTS records rice root in 3 states.
recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded
See the full list of states
Alaska, Oregon, Washington.
Alaska counties with USDA records: Aleutians East, Aleutians West, Anchorage, Bethel, Chugach, Copper River, Dillingham, Haines, Juneau, Kenai Peninsula, Ketchikan Gateway, Kodiak Island, Lake and Peninsula, Matanuska-Susitna, Sitka, Yakutat, Yukon-Koyukuk.
Names, range and relatives
Native status by region (USDA PLANTS): Alaska: Native; Canada: Native; Lower 48 states: Native.
Other scientific names (synonyms in USDA PLANTS): Lilium camschatcense.
County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 26 counties across 3 states; the most are in Alaska (17), Washington (5), Oregon (4).
Other Fritillaria on Bloomipedia (3): Checker lily, Yellow fritillary, Spotted fritillary.
More from the Liliaceae family (32 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Yellow trout lily, Cucumber root, Bluebead lily, White fawnlily, White globe lily, Glacier lily, Yellow mariposa lily, Tolmie's pussy ears.
More Alaska flowers
Sources
- USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile FRCA5.
- iNaturalist, Fritillaria camschatcensis: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia, Fritillaria camschatcensis (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Alaska: Alaska prohibited and restricted noxious weeds (11 AAC 34.020).
- USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
- NatureServe Explorer, Fritillaria camschatcensis (global and state ranks).
- Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
- Photo: florawhite via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.