Fritillaria meleagris

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iSnake's Head Fritillary

Snake's Head Fritillaria (Fritillaria meleagris)

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Magnoliophyta
Class:	Liliopsida
Order:	Liliales
Family:	Liliaceae
Genus:	Fritillaria
Species:	F. meleagris

Binomial name

Fritillaria meleagris
L.

Fritillaria meleagris, commonly known as Snakes's head (the original English name), and also Snake's Head Fritillary, Leper Lily, and Guinea-hen Flower (possibly also checkered daffodil) is a fritillary, a flower from the family Liliaceae.

The flower has a checkered reddish-brown, purple, white and gray coloration, sometimes mostly white. It blossoms from March to May and grows anywhere between 15 and 40 cm in height. It has a globulous bulb which contains poisonous alkaloids.

The plant is commonly found growing in grasslands in damp soils and river meadows. It can be found at altitudes up to 800 meters.

It is native to Europe, but in many places, including France, Slovenia and Romania it is an endangered species that is rarely found in the wild, but is common in horticulturists' gardens. In Croatia the flower is known as Kockavica and is part of the country's national symbol. It is the only species of Fritillary native to Britain, growing in traditional grass meadows. Due to changing land usage, it is now quite rare in the wild. The Meadow of Magdalen College, Oxford is one of the best places to see it, along with the North Meadow National Nature Reserve in Wiltshire.