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Botanical Name: Fritillaria imperialis (LINN.)
Family: N.O. Liliaceae
Common Name:Crown Imperial,Kaiser’s Crown (Fritillaria imperialis)
Genus: Fritillaria

Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Liliales
Species: F. imperialis

Habitat: W. Asia – W. Himalayas, Turkey and Iran.   Cliffs, rocky slopes and amongst scrub, 1000 – 3000 metres in Turkey. On humus rich soils, usually in gullies and shaded sides of large rocks, 1800 – 2600 metres in Kashmir.Woodland Garden; Sunny Edge; Dappled Shade;

Description:

It is native to a wide stretch from Anatolia across the plateau of Iran to Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Himalayan foothills. It is one of the earliest plants to be cultivated. It grows to about 1 meter (3 feet) 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 April or May, accompanied by a distinctly foxy odour that repels mice, moles, and other rodents.

Due to the way that the bulb is formed, with the stem emerging from a depression, it is best to plant it on its side, to prevent water causing rot at the top of the bulb. Fritillaria imperialis requires full sun for best growth, and sandy, well-drained soil for permanence. After flowering and complete drying of the leaves, the stems should be cut off just above the ground.

Bulb growing to 1m by 0.3m.  It is hardy to zone 4 and is not frost tender. It is in flower in April, and the seeds ripen from July to August. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees.
The plant prefers medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils, requires well-drained soil and can grow in heavy clay soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires dry or moist soil and can tolerate drought.
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Fritillaria imperialis (Linn.), the Crown Imperial Lily of Persia, is said to be there cultivated as a food plant, its bulb possessing poisonous properties when raw, but being wholesome when cooked.
There are two kinds of this handsome plant, associated with the earliest type of English gardens. They bear a circle of pendulous flowers – one blooms pure lemon yellow, the other deep orange red – and have a crown of foliage above them. The same name is given to this Lily in all European languages.

The bulbs have a foetid odour, described as being like that of a fox, and are powerfully acrid and poisonous. Even honey from the flowers is said to be emetic.

Imperialine was isolated by Fragner in 1888, on extracting the bulbs with chloroform. This alkaloid and its salts are intensely bitter and are heart poisons.

Scented Plants
Flowers: Fresh
The flowers smell of wet fur and garlic.

Cultivation details:
Easily grown in a moderately fertile soil. Prefers a heavy soil without any disturbance, not even hoeing. Requires a well-drained soil and a sunny position or the shade of deciduous trees or shrubs. Succeeds in drier soils and is drought tolerant once established. Plants succeed in most fertile soils, avoiding pure chalk, heavy clay and boggy sites. The dormant bulbs are very hardy and will withstand soil temperatures down to at least -10°c. A very ornamental plant, there are some named varieties. The flowers smell of wet fur and garlic. Bulbs should be planted 10 – 12 cm deep in July on their side with sharp sand beneath them to ensure that they do not rot.

Propagation:
Seed – best sown as soon as ripe in a cold frame, it should germinate in the spring. Protect from frost. Stored seed should be sown as soon as possible and can take a year or more to germinate. Sow the seed quite thinly to avoid the need to prick out the seedlings. Once they have germinated, give them an occasional liquid feed to ensure that they do not suffer mineral deficiency. Once they die down at the end of their second growing season, divide up the small bulbs, planting 2 – 3 to an 8cm deep pot. Grow them on for at least another year in light shade in the greenhouse before planting them out whilst dormant. Division of offsets in August. The larger bulbs can be planted out direct into their permanent positions, but it is best to pot up the smaller bulbs and grow them on in a cold frame for a year before planting them out in the autumn. Bulb scales

Edible Uses
Edible Parts: Root.

Bulb – cooked. A minor source of starch. Some caution is advised since there are reports of toxicity.

Medicinalb Uses:
Diuretic; Emollient; Galactogogue; Resolvent.

The bulb is diuretic, emollient and resolvent. It is also a cardiac poison. It has been used as an expectorant and also to encourage increased breast milk production. The fresh plant contains the toxic alkaloid ‘imperialine’.

No appreciable medicinal use is made of the plant.

Resources:

http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/l/lilcro22.html

http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Fritillaria+imperialis

http://chestofbooks.com/flora-plants/flowers/Flower-Garden/194-Fritillaria-Imperialis-Crown-Imperial.html

http://linnaeus.nrm.se/botany/fbo/f/bilder/friti/fritimp1.jpg

http://128.253.177.183/taxpage/0/0/79/binomial/Fritillaria%20imperialis.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fritillaria_imperialis

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