Fritillaria

Fritillaria is a genus in the Liliaceae family distributed throughout Europe and North Africa (especially around the Mediterranean), temperate Asia and North America. Most of them have pendent flowers but many of these are not brilliantly colored although they may have attractive markings. Some of the species have a "foxy" odor.

The name of the genus is said to come from the latin fritillus or dice box. Many of the species have spotted or checked flowers. Fritillary or fritillaries is also a common name for butterflies in the family Nymphalidae, again deriving from their patterned wings. John Gerarde, page 123, in his book The Herball, or Generall Historie of Plantes published in 1597, says the name may derive from the tables at which chess or dice was played frittillo.

Fritillarias are among the easiest and most reliable genera from seed. Generally the seeds should be sown in fall or early winter, watered, and kept outdoors in the cold they germinate the following spring. If they are not sown until after Christmas it becomes increasingly likely that they will wait until spring year (Jack Elliott). Jane McGary noted that F. camschatcensis, F. meleagris, and perhaps East Asian wet growing species have very short viability. These seeds should be sown right away. California Fritillaria need about four months of cold/cool weather to germinate well. The seeds have been stored for three years and germination was good when allowed a sufficiently long germination period of at least four months (Diana Chapman). See also Fritillaria Germination.

Jane McGary who has tremendous experience in growing this genus formerly grew her plants in a bulb frame where they were protected in the winter, sometimes even when temperature reached 20 °F (-6 °C). They were in clay pots plunged to the rim in coarse sand. They are now in raised beds in a roofed bulb house with wire mesh walls. During growth, the plants are given full sun (in the Oregon winter) and fertilized once in the fall and three times during the winter-spring growing season with a "root and bloom" formula. During the summer dormancy period one bed receives a little water and the other, none. John Lonsdale suggests a porous alpine type (1:1 organic:inorganic) mix for growing these plants.

More Fritillaria photos can be viewed from the Fritillaria Group of the Alpine Garden Society. Fritillaria Icones is a photographic botanical database of the genus.

For more photos and information about the species select the appropriate wiki page:

or click on the name in the table below:

Fritillaria
acmopetala	affinis	agrestis	alburyana
amana	alfredae ssp. glaucoviridis	ariana	armena
atropurpurea	aurea	biflora	bithynica
brandegeei	bucharica	*burnatii	camschatcensis
carica	caucasica	chitralensis	collina
conica	crassifolia	davidii	davisii
eastwoodiae	eduardii	ehrhartii	elwesii
euboeica	falcata	forbesii	gentneri
gibbosa	glauca	graeca	gussichiae
*hermonis ssp. amana	imperialis	japonica	karelinii
koidzumiana	kotschyana	kurdica	latakiensis
latifolia	liliacea	meleagris	meleagroides
messanensis	michailovskyi	minuta	montana
obliqua	ojaiensis	olivieri	orientalis
pallidiflora	persica	pinardii	pluriflora
pontica	pudica	purdyi	pyrenaica
raddeana	recurva	reuteri	rhodia
rhodocanakis	rixii	*roderickii	serpenticola
sewerzowii	sibthorpiana	stenanthera	striata
thunbergii	tortifolia	tubiformis	tuntasia
uva-vulpis	verticillata	viridea	wabuensis
walujewii	wendelboi	whittallii	yuminensis
zagrica	?

Asian Fritillaria a-c - Asian Fritillaria d-k - Asian Fritillaria l-r - Asian Fritillaria s-z - European Fritillaria a-o - European Fritillaria p-z - North American Fritillaria a-l - North American Fritillaria m-z - Miscellaneous Fritillaria