Fritillaria

Fritillaria acmopetala

This is the form normally encountered in cultivation with tall and slender stems bearing one or two flowers of lizard green.

The inner segments are stained and infused with violet-purple and the three outer petals flare gently, lending a most elegant appearance.

Garden soil, full sun, well-drained.

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Fritillaria acmopetala wendelboi

Differently shaped, squared-shouldered, dumpy bells, with a flared mouth, this is very different in appearance to the normal form.

Makes shorter plants than the type species, although the flowers are virtually the same size.

Fritillaria acmopetala wendelboifriacmwen	£3.50		1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
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Fritillaria bucharica Romit

Several open-faced white flowers, each with a green centre and deeply impressed greenish nectaries. Several flowers per plant are held above attractive foliage, on 20cm stems, very early in the season.

Beautiful and tough - the species starts in mid-March most years, outside and unprotected. We have them in south-facing raised beds of well-drained, loam-based compost.

Fritillaria bucharica RomitfribucbucRomit	£3.70		1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
This strain is seed-raised from the Romit gorge populations. Large view

Fritillaria carica

Grey-green leaves on short stems, crowned by up to three tubular bells. These are 2cm long (on stems 10-25cm tall) and of a nice clear yellow, varyingly infused with lime green. Some have a thin red line outlining each petal.

Ideal in a pan, but tough enough for the garden. Hardy - it has over-wintered here for many years in a raised bed.

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Fritillaria conica

An endemic of a small area in southern Greece, this bears strongly cone-shaped flowers of pure, bright citron-yellow on short stems, above glaucous green-grey foliage, in March.

Hardy and easy but seldom seen. Excellent in a pot but hardy enough for outside, in a well drained sunny spot. This is one of my favourite species, it never fails to make a good display.

Fritillaria eduardii

A rare Crown Imperial very seldom offered. Tall stems, up to 1m (although usually less), with an abundance of flowers in a shade of orange-yellow, infused and lined with deep orange-red. This intensifies towards the tips. The flowers flare and are different in shape to imperialis.

The 'foxy' smell associated with Crown Imperials is fainter in eduardii and many cannot detect it.

This has to be raised from seed, which is slow. Well drained sunny spot. Tajikistan.

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Fritillaria eduardii Citron Bells

A plant clonally propagated from the original selection of just one bulb. The flower colour is in a citrusy shade of yellow-orange, quite distinct from the normal dark oranges of this species but difficult to describe.

Fritillaria eduardii Citron Bellsfrieducit	£19.50
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Fritillaria eduardii Gala Gown

A superb, clonal selection in which the inner segments in each flower are paler and more yellow than the three outer segments which are a deep, intense orange-red. The blooms are large, flaring and very attractive.

Raised in horticulture from an original bulb first found in Tadjikistan. First released 2010.

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Fritillaria elwesii

Stems up to 20 cm tall with several narrow greyish leaves carry up to three narrow bells of purplish-blue dusted with a grapey 'bloom' and striped longitudinally with yellow-green bands.

Makes a lot of rice grains below ground but never a weedy species, and will take a garden spot in full sun or light shade if you can give good drainage.

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Fritillaria hermonis amana

Large emerald bells with a nice solid texture, faintly tessellated with reddish netting, the inner segments marked with deeper purple netting except in the very centre, which is green.

The whole plant has a light, greyish 'bloom', very attractive and robust, some 25cm tall with 4cm bells.

Happy in almost any well drained soil, planted 8-10cm deep to discourage offsets. Will take pot culture.

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Fritillaria hermonis amana Gokzum Gold

A fabulous partial albino from southern Turkey. This form does not make the usual proportion of pigments in its flower.

The stunning result of this adjustment is that there is virtually no dark netting on the petals, other than a hint of reddish colouring at the ovary end of the inner whorl of three.

Instead there is a miasmic jade shadowing and the usual green ground colour is replaced by a superb and attractive deep golden yellow.

Originally from a Norman Stevens collection I believe.

Fritillaria hermonis hermonis

The subspecies amana has persisted in cultivation for at least 70 years, during which time the type species offered here has barely entered cultivation. It is a rare plant, restricted to the upper reaches of Mount Hermon in Lebanon, and is characterised by having very dwarf growths, some 5-8cm, but with large, well-marked flowers up to 2cm long.

Readily grown but still rare.

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Fritillaria kotschyana

This has its origins in Gonbad, Iran and has broad very glossy leaves and lovely, broad bells of pale yellow-green, which are chequered all over in deep brown, early in spring.

These are amongst the largest Fritillaria flowers, yet they are borne on remarkably short plants.

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Fritillaria kurdica

Yellow-green flowers tipped with brighter yellow and lightly checked all over with diffuse garnet. A lovely dwarf species often carrying several flowers to each short stem.

This is a nice, variable, field-raised, horticultural stock.

Fritillaria kurdicafrikurkur	£3.80		1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
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Fritillaria latakiensis

Slender grey leaves clasp a stem that carries up to three long, tubular, deep purple, almost black, flowers. These are lined with a touch of emerald, which lifts the perhaps sombre appearance, but I find this rather attractive and an excellent contrast to many species.

Sunny spot in a well-drained soil, planted 10-12cm deep and left undisturbed. Southern Turkey and Northern Syria.

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