I have had success sowing seed of Fritillaria imperialis in autumn, after dry storage at room temperature after harvesting it. However, perhaps Uli's "particularly large" form is a triploid. Triploid Fritillaria are known, for example in populations of Fritillaria affinis in the region around San Francisco Bay. They have unusually large flowers and are sterile. Fertile seeds will have a visible embryo, though in F. imperialis the seeds are quite thick and it may be harder to see the embryo. In addition, Fritillaria seem to be self-sterile, so if Uli is self-pollinating his special plant, fertile seeds will not form. Another problem with getting fertile seed of this species may be flowering during a time when temperatures are too cold for effective fertilization. I grew my F. imperialis plants from seed of yellow-flowered plants, but so far all of mine have typical orange flowers, which must be dominant and reflect the pollen parents. Jane McGary Portland, Oregon, USA On 3/27/2017 1:42 PM, Johannes Ulrich Urban wrote: > > >> Dear All, >> >> Having sown seed of a particularly large form of F. imperialis >> several times without success I wonder how your experience is with >> this plant. I have tried several different ways: sowing fresh seed >> immediately after ripening, sowing dried seed in autumn, keeping the >> seedpot either in the garden or greenhouse during winter. The mother >> bulb is about to flower but again not a single seed has germinated. I >> opened some fresh seeds before sowing, they were all thick, fleshy >> and white inside, not empty shells. >> Where is my mistake? Is it perhaps a sterile clone? Do they need a >> special treatment to break a prolonged dormancy? The seeds now feel >> empty and dead to the touch. >> Any advice is appreciated. >>