Fritillaria imperialis

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Fritillaria imperialis
Hakkari Cilo ve Sat Daglari Ters Lale (Aglayan gelin ).jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Liliales
Family: Liliaceae
Subfamily: Lilioideae
Tribe: Lilieae
Genus: Fritillaria
Species:
F. imperialis
Binomial name
Fritillaria imperialis
L.
Synonyms [1]
Synonymy
  • Fritillaria aintabensisPost
  • Fritillaria corona-imperialisPanz.
  • Fritillaria corona-imperialisGaertn.
  • Fritillaria imperialis var. longipetalaauct.
  • Fritillaria imperialis var. maximaEeden
  • Fritillaria imperialis var. rubra-maximaauct.
  • [Imperialis comosaMoench
  • Imperialis coronataDum.Cours.
  • Imperialis superbaMirb.
  • Lilium persicumE.H.L.Krause
  • Petilium imperiale(L.) J.St.-Hil.
  • Petilium imperialeJaume

Fritillaria imperialis, the crown imperial, imperial fritillary, Kaiser's crown, or Kurdish tulip is a species of flowering plant in the lily family Liliaceae, native to a wide stretch from the Anatolian plateau of Turkey, Iraq and Iran (e.g. Kurdistan [2] [3] [4] ) to Afghanistan, Pakistan, Northern India and the Himalayan foothills. [5] It is also widely cultivated as an ornamental and reportedly naturalized in Austria, Sicily, and Washington State, USA. [6] [5] [7] The common names and also the epithet "imperialis", literally "of the emperor", refer to the large circle of golden flowers, reminiscent of an emperor's crown. [8]

Contents

Description

Fritillaria Imperialis in Dena, Iran llhhy wjgwn dr khwh dn.jpg
Fritillaria Imperialis in Dena, Iran

Fritillaria imperialis grows to about 1 m (3 ft) in height, and bears lance-shaped, glossy leaves at intervals along the stem. It bears a prominent whorl of downward facing flowers at the top of the stem, topped by a 'crown' of small leaves, hence the name. While the wild form is usually orange-red, various colours are found in cultivation, ranging from nearly a true scarlet through oranges to yellow. The pendulous flowers make a bold statement in the late spring garden; in the northern hemisphere, flowering takes place in late spring, accompanied by a distinctly foxy odour that repels mice, moles and other small animals. [8] [9]

Owing to its large size, F. imperialis is pollinated by the Eurasian blue tit, which makes it a rare example of ornithophily at northern latitudes. [10]

Cultivation

The species [11] and the yellow-flowered 'Maximea Lutea' [12] have both gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. [13] Other cultivars in shades of red, yellow and orange, are available.

Like other members of the lily family, F. imperialis is susceptible to depredation by the scarlet lily beetle ( Lilioceris lilii ). [8]

Fritillaria imperialis is easy to grow in well-drained soil in a sunny site. The plant is drought tolerant, and bulbs should be planted in the early autumn. Note that bulbs do not like to be out in the air for long.

Taxonomy

A few names have been coined for taxa once considered as belonging to Fritillaria imperialis but now regarded as distinct species:

Imerial crown.jpg
Crown imperial plain, Fars, Iran

Role in the culture of Iran

The flower has a long and deep connection with the history, religion, mythology and folklore of its native Iran and, as a result, has acquired a wealth of evocative vernacular names, often referencing the pendent form of the blossoms and the tear-like nectar drops borne by the six nectaries. In Iranian folklore the nodding flowers are described (in comparison with the upright flowers of tulips) as being 'upside-down', this curious posture being attributed to the plant's bowing its (originally upright) 'head' in sorrow upon the death of a mythological or religious personage. Likewise, the glistening drops of nectar at the base of each flower are described as the tears which the plant weeps in mourning the departed. Depictions of the distinctive inflorescences may be seen on the sculpted capitals of Sassanid columns, as at Taq-e Bostan. F. imperialis is linked to the legend of the tragic death of Siyâvash, (a semi-divine hero in Ferdowsi's prodigious national epic Shahnameh) – whence the common name Ashk-e Sivash ('Tear of Siyâvash'). [14] [15]

Related Research Articles

<i>Fritillaria</i> Genus of flowering plants in family Liliaceae

Fritillaria (fritillaries) is a genus of spring flowering herbaceous bulbous perennial plants in the lily family (Liliaceae). The type species, Fritillaria meleagris, was first described in Europe in 1571, while other species from the Middle East and Asia were also introduced to Europe at that time. The genus has about 130–140 species divided among eight subgenera. The flowers are usually solitary, nodding and bell-shaped with bulbs that have fleshy scales, resembling those of lilies. They are known for their large genome size and genetically are very closely related to lilies. They are native to the temperate regions of the Northern hemisphere, from the Mediterranean and North Africa through Eurasia and southwest Asia to western North America. Many are endangered due to enthusiastic picking.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liliaceae</span> Family of flowering plants in order Liliales, including lilies

The lily family, Liliaceae, consists of about 15 genera and 610 species of flowering plants within the order Liliales. They are monocotyledonous, perennial, herbaceous, often bulbous geophytes. Plants in this family have evolved with a fair amount of morphological diversity despite genetic similarity. Common characteristics include large flowers with parts arranged in threes: with six colored or patterned petaloid tepals arranged in two whorls, six stamens and a superior ovary. The leaves are linear in shape, with their veins usually arranged parallel to the edges, single and arranged alternating on the stem, or in a rosette at the base. Most species are grown from bulbs, although some have rhizomes. First described in 1789, the lily family became a paraphyletic "catch-all" (wastebasket) group of lilioid monocots that did not fit into other families and included a great number of genera now included in other families and in some cases in other orders. Consequently, many sources and descriptions labelled "Liliaceae" deal with the broader sense of the family.

<i>Fritillaria meleagris</i> Species of flowering plants in the family Liliaceae

Fritillaria meleagris is a Eurasian species of flowering plant in the lily family Liliaceae. Its common names include snake's head fritillary, snake's head, chess flower, frog-cup, guinea-hen flower, guinea flower, leper lily, Lazarus bell, chequered lily, chequered daffodil, drooping tulip or, in the British Isles, simply fritillary. The plant is a bulbous perennial native to the flood river plains of Europe where it grows in abundance.

<i>Tulipa clusiana</i> Species of plant

Tulipa clusiana, the lady tulip, is an Asian species of tulip native to Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan and the western Himalayas. It is widely cultivated as an ornamental and is reportedly naturalized in France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Tunisia, Greece, and Turkey.

<i>Fritillaria persica</i> Species of flowering plant

Fritillaria persica is a Middle Eastern species of flowering plant in the lily family Liliaceae, native to southern Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Cyprus and Israel. It is widely cultivated as an ornamental and naturalized in the Lazio region of Italy. It is the sole species in Fritillaria subgenus Theresia.

<i>Fritillaria uva-vulpis</i> Species of flowering plant

Fritillaria uva-vulpis, commonly called the fox's grape fritillary, is a bulbous perennial plant belonging to the genus Fritillaria and native to eastern Turkey, north-western Iraq and western Iran. They are mainly found in the wooded foothills of the Zagros, where they grow in damp meadows and cornfields between 900 and 1800 m above sea level.

<i>Fritillaria verticillata</i> Species of flowering plant

Fritillaria verticillata is a flowering plant in the lily family Liliaceae, native to Japan, Korea, Mongolia, Xinjiang, Kazakhstan and the Altay region of Siberia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tulip</span> Genus of plants

Tulips are spring-blooming perennial herbaceous bulbiferous geophytes in the Tulipa genus. Their flowers are usually large, showy, and brightly coloured, generally red, orange, pink, yellow, or white. They often have a different coloured blotch at the base of the tepals, internally. Because of a degree of variability within the populations and a long history of cultivation, classification has been complex and controversial. The tulip is a member of the lily family, Liliaceae, along with 14 other genera, where it is most closely related to Amana, Erythronium, and Gagea in the tribe Lilieae.

<i>Notholirion</i> Genus of plants

Notholirion is a small Asian genus of bulbous plants in the lily family, Liliaceae. It is closely related to Lilium, but each individual flowers only once, and then dies after producing offsets. The bulb is covered by a tunic. Leaves are basal, produced in autumn and winter.

<i>Fritillaria acmopetala</i> Species of plant in the family Liliaceae

Fritillaria acmopetala, the pointed-petal fritillary, is a species of flowering plant in the lily family Liliaceae, native to rocky limestone mountain slopes in the Middle East. It was described by the Swiss botanist Pierre Edmond Boissier in 1846.

<i>Tulipa humilis</i> Species of flowering plant

Tulipa humilis is a species of flowering plant in the lily family Liliaceae, found in Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Turkey, Iran, and the North Caucasus region of Russia. The flowers are pink with yellow centers. Its preferred habitat are rocky mountain slopes. It is known by several other names in horticulture.

<i>Fritillaria eduardii</i> Species of flowering plant

Fritillaria eduardii is a species of flowering plant in the family Liliaceae, native to Central Asia. It is closely related to the widely cultivated species, F. imperialis, called "crown imperial."

Fritillaria chitralensis is a species of flowering plant in the lily family Liliaceae, native to Afghanistan and the Chitral District of northern Pakistan.

<i>Fritillaria karelinii</i> Species of plant

Fritillaria karelinii is an Asian species of herbaceous perennial plant in the lily family Liliaceae, native to Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Iran, Pakistan, and Xinjiang.

<i>Fritillaria thunbergii</i> Species of flowering plant

Fritillaria thunbergii is a flowering plant species in the lily family Liliaceae. It is native to Kazakhstan and in Xinjiang Province of western China, though cultivated in other places and naturalized in Japan and in other parts of China.

Fritillaria tortifolia is a flowering plant species in the lily family Liliaceae. It is found only in the northwestern part of Xinjiang Province, the extreme northwestern corner of China.

<i>Fritillaria assyriaca</i> Species of flowering plant

Fritillaria assyriaca is a bulbous herbaceous perennial plant occurring in a region stretching from Turkey to Iran. It is a species in the genus Fritillaria, in the lily family Liliaceae. It is placed in the subgenus Fritillaria.

<i>Fritillaria raddeana</i> Species of flowering plant

Fritillaria raddeana is a perennial herbaceous bulbous plant, distributed in Iran, Turkmenistan and Kashmir. It is a species in the genus Fritillaria, in the lily family Liliaceae. It is placed in the subgenus Petilium. Resembling Fritillaria imperialis, but shorter, it is sometimes referred to as the dwarf crown imperial.

<i>Tulipa montana</i> Species of plant in the genus Tulipa

Tulipa montana is a species of tulip native to the mountains of Iran and Turkmenistan. With its deep red petals it has been proposed as a candidate for the Biblical Rose of Sharon, whose identity is unknown.

References

  1. ↑ The Plant List
  2. ↑ Kiani, Mahmoud; Mohammadi, Shirin; Babaei, Alireza; Sefidkon, Fatemeh; Naghavi, Mohamad Reza; Ranjbar, Mojtaba; Razavi, Seyed Ali; Saeidi, Keramatollah; Jafari, Hadi; Asgari, Davoud; Potter, Daniel (2017-10-01). "Iran supports a great share of biodiversity and floristic endemism for Fritillaria spp. (Liliaceae): A review". Plant Diversity. 39 (5): 245–262. Bibcode:2017PlDiv..39..245K. doi:10.1016/j.pld.2017.09.002. ISSN   2468-2659. PMC   6112302 . PMID   30159518.
  3. ↑ Pieroni, Andrea; Zahir, Hawre; Amin, Hawraz Ibrahim M.; Sõukand, Renata (2019-11-27). "Where tulips and crocuses are popular food snacks: Kurdish traditional foraging reveals traces of mobile pastoralism in Southern Iraqi Kurdistan". Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine. 15 (1): 59. doi: 10.1186/s13002-019-0341-0 . ISSN   1746-4269. PMC   6882212 . PMID   31775812.
  4. ↑ Sharifi-Tehrani, M., Advay, M., & Shabani, L. (2015). "Fritillaria (Liliaceae) in Iran: distribution and Nomenclature". Taxonomy and Biosystematics. 22 (7): 49–70.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. 1 2 Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
  6. ↑ Altervista Flora Italiana, Meleagride imperiale, Fritillaria imperialis L.
  7. ↑ Biota of North America Program 2014 county distribution map
  8. 1 2 3 RHS A-Z encyclopedia of garden plants. United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. 2008. p. 1136. ISBN   978-1405332965.
  9. ↑ Linnaeus, Carl. 1753. Species Plantarum 1: 303
  10. ↑ Duthie, David (9 September 1989), "Bluetits pollinate the plants other creatures cannot reach", New Scientist, retrieved 16 April 2021
  11. ↑ "Fritillaria imperialis". RHS. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
  12. ↑ "Fritillaria imperialis 'Maximea Lutea'". RHS. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
  13. ↑ "AGM Plants – Ornamental" (PDF). Royal Horticultural Society. July 2017. p. 39. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
  14. ↑ https://www.visitiran.ir/attraction/plain-overturned-tulips-fritillaria Retrieved at 12.10 on 16/6/21
  15. ↑ https://www.heritageinstitute.com/zoroastrianism/pdf/usefulPlantsOfIranIraq.pdf Retrieved at 00.08 on 17/6/21
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