Description: The Chocolate Lily is part of the lily family and have sinly slender stems that can grow 20 to 50 cm tall. The flowers on the stem are bell-shaped and can be singular or in loose clusters up to three. The flowers are chocolate brown to dark purple in color with spots of greenish-yellow specks. They smell a lot like rotting meat and the roots are made up of little white balls that are similar looking to rice.
Habitat: The Chocolate Lily emerges in May. They like shaded woods and rocky bluffs at lower elevations. Chocolate lilies are rare to find nowadays due to over-picking, though they enjoy the companion of Blue Camas.
Aboriginal Use: The plant itself would be harvested anytime from early spring to late fall and used in soups. The rice like root would be washed, boiled, and eaten.
Other Names: Rice Root, "Indian Rice"
**FYI: Did you know that on Pender Island (a Southern Gulf Island) you can visit one of the thickest west-coast concentrations of the delicate Chocolate Lilies? They are located at the Gowlland Point Park.