Common Name:

General Information

Fritillaria verticillata is a perennial plant growing from a bulb around 20mm in diameter and comprising of two scales; the flowering stem is around 15 - 50cm tall[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and medicine. The bulbs are dried and then exported to various countries for medicinal use[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

, ,

Range

E. Asia - Kazakhstan, southern Siberia, Mongolia, western China (Xinjiang), Korea, Japan

Habitat

Stony and dry slopes from W. Siberia eastwards[]. Hill thickets and gravelly meadows; at elevations from 1,300 - 2,000 metres in NW Xinjiang, China[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Bulb
Height	0.40 m
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Fritillaria verticillata is a plant of the temperate zone, growing in areas with cold winters and warm, dry summers. The plants are usually covered with snow in winter, with much of the moisture required for growth coming from the melt water.
This is a difficult plant to grow unless similar conditions to its natural habitat can be provided. It prefers a moist peaty soil in the open garden[]. Easily grown in a moderately fertile soil in sun or semi-shade[]. Succeeds in drier soils and is drought tolerant when established[].
The scaly bulbs are best planted on their sides or surrounded in sand to prevent water collecting in their hollow crowns[].
Cultivated as a medicinal plant in Japan[], the sub-species Fritillaria verticillata thunbergii. Baker. is most often used[]. (this species is now known as F. thunbergii. q.v.).
Plants take 3 - 5 years to flower from seed.

Edible Uses

Bulb - cooked or candied[]. The bulb is about 2cm in diameter[].

Young plant - cooked. Used in soups[]. Eating the young plant will greatly reduce the vigour of the bulb, and could even kill it[].

Petals and flower buds - cooked. Used in soups[].

Medicinal

The bulbs are antidote, antitussive, astringent, expectorant, galactogogue and purgative[, ]. They contain fritimine which diminishes excitability of respiratory centres, paralyses voluntary movement and counters effects of opium[]. The bulb is used internally in the treatment of coughs, bronchitis, pneumonia, feverish illnesses, abscesses etc[]. The bulbs also have a folk history of use against cancer of the breast and lungs in China[, ]. This remedy should only be used under the supervision of a qualified practitioner, excessive doses can cause breathing difficulties and heart failure[].
The bulbs are harvested in the winter whilst they are dormant and are dried for later use[].

The bulbs are used in the treatment of asthma, bronchitis, and tuberculosis[].

The plant contains the alkaloid fritilline[].

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[].