Common Name: Crown Imperial

General Information

Fritillaria imperialis is a perennial plant growing from a fleshy bulb up to 10cm in diameter; the flowering stem is up to 100cm tall[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and medicine. It is often grown as an ornamental, there are several named varieties[].

Known Hazards

The bulb is poisonous raw[, ], it contains low concentrations of a toxic alkaloid[, ].

Botanical References

,

Range

W. Asia - Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, northwest India

Habitat

Cliffs, rocky slopes and amongst scrub, at elevations from 1,000 - 3,000 metres in Turkey[]. On humus rich soils, usually in gullies and shaded sides of large rocks, at elevations from 1,800 - 2,600 metres in Kashmir[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Bulb
Height	1.00 m
Pollinators	Bees
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Fritillaria imperialis is a very hardy plant and the bulbs will withstand soil temperatures down to at least -10°c[].
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[].
A very ornamental plant, there are some named varieties[].
A malodorous plant, smelling of fox[]. The bulb has a pungent foxy odour[]. 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[, ].

Edible Uses

Bulb - cooked[]. A minor source of starch[, , ]. Some caution is advised since there are reports of toxicity.

Medicinal

The bulb is cardiotonic, diuretic, emollient, hypotensive and resolvent[, ]. It is also a cardiac poison[]. It has been used as an expectorant and also to encourage increased breast milk production[].
The root has been used to treat joint pain[].

The fresh plant contains the toxic alkaloid 'imperialine'[].

The bulbs contain steroidal alkaloids, including ebeinone, eduardine, edpetilidine, verticinone, isoverticine and isobaimonidine[].
Ebeinone exhibited anticholinergic activity[].

Fritillaria imperialis has been utilized for the treatment of different diseases like asthma, pharyngitis, bronchitis, cough, struma, haemoptysis, dysuria and gland tumour. Its tendrilled bulbs are utilized as a home remedy for haemorrhage, cough and mucus, treatment of abscess, high fever, absence of milk, eye sickness, and rheumatoid arthritis, and act as antianxiety/depression[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as ripe in a well-drained, sandy or gritty soil 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[].