Description
(syn. theophrasti)
A rare insular race described varyingly as a subspecies and a species, found on the Greek island of Lesbos. Said by Jim Archibald to be adapted to a warmer, drier habitat than the mainland forms.
Taller and more slender than the type species, with narrower grey-green leaves and a more elongated, waisted flower of green, strongly marked with purple red at the tips inside. The mouth flares open, more widely than is found in plain pontica, which is inclined to be “pinched” at the mouth, until the flowers become old. This flowers towards the end of the main Fritillaria season and is not difficult either in the garden in a well-drained sunny spot, or in a pot.
Raised from Jim’s seed JJA.502.102 which in turn was from a David Hoskins collection (97-1) originally made on Lesbos, Greece.
