Common Name:

General Information

Fritillaria sinica is a perennial plant growing from an ovoid bulb around 15mm in diameter and comprising of 2 - 3 scales; the flowering stem is around 30cm tall[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

E. Asia - southern China (western Sichuan)

Habitat

Open thickets, hill grasslands; 3400–3600 metres[].

Properties

Medicinal Rating
Habit	Bulb
Height	0.30 m
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Fritillaria sinicais a plant of the temperate zone, growing in an area with cool summers and summer rainfall plus dry winters that can be cool or cold. Plants dislike high winter rainfall.
Grows best in a well-drained, humus-rich soil and a position under the protective shade of shrubs or deciduous trees.

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

The bulbs are used medicinally[].
We have no further information, but the bulb is almost certainly used as a form of Bei Mu in Chinese medicine particularly to treat a range of chest complaints, especially associated with coughing, and often combined with various other herbs. Conditions treated would include tuberculosis, coughs, bronchitis, pneumonia and asthma[].

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[].