Fritillaria Imperialis

From late April, through May and into June, this rare and fabulous plant bears a prominent whorl of bright, 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. In the wild it is native to a wide stretch from Anatolia across the plateau of Iran to Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Himalayan foothills. Very few good large seeds are set and collected.