Fritillaria acmopetala

pointed-petal fritillary
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Monocots
Order: Liliales
Family: Liliaceae
Genus: Fritillaria
Species: F. acmopetala
Binomial name
Fritillaria acmopetala
Boiss. 1846 not Baker 1877[1]
Synonyms[2]
  • Fritillaria lycia Boiss. & Heldr.
  • Fritillaria reygassii Boiss. & Blanche

Fritillaria acmopetala (pointed-petal fritillary[3]) is a species of bulbous flowering plant in the family Liliaceae, native to rocky limestone mountain slopes in Northern Cyprus, southern Turkey (Lycia to Cilicia) and the (Nur Dağları of the Hatay Province, the Lebanon, Israel and Palestine.[4][5] It is found in Macchia, open woodland and in cornfields. ssp. Wendelboi grows in Cedar woodland at higher altitudes.[6] In Cyprus, it grew in cornfields and under olive trees in the Girne-district, in the villages of Karaman and Edremit.[7] It was first described by Pierre Edmond Boissier in 1846.

Description

Fritillaria acmopetala is a bulbous perennial with an erect stem reaching heights of 30–70 cm (12–28 in). The long, straight, very narrow leaves grow in whorls about the lower stem and in pairs near the top. The stem has one or more nodding flowers at each node. The flower has six tepals, each 3 cm long. The outer ones are yellowish-green with some darker patches and red veins, the inner ones purplish brown at the top and bottom. The insides of both are yellow.[8][9] The bell-shaped flower flares out sharply at the mouth.[10]

Bulb of Fritillaria acmopetala

There are two subspecies, Fritillaria acmopetala ssp. acmopetala and Fritillaria acmopetala ssp. Wendelboi. The latter has broader leaves and is restricted to Southern Turkey[11]

Cultivation

The plant was introduced into cultivation in 1874.[10] It needs well-draining, fertile soil, like most Frittilaries. The bulbs should be planted 10 cm deep. This plant has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.[3] In Britain, it flowers in early April and is fully hardy.[10] It is susceptible to predation by the red lily beetle (Lilioceris lilii) and can suffer from lily disease caused by the plant pathogenic fungus Botrytis elliptica.[3]

References

  1. ↑ Tropicos, search for Fritillaria acmopetala
  2. ↑ Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families, synonym list for Fritillaria acmopetala subsp. acmopetala
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Fritillaria acmopetala. Royal Horticultural Society.
  4. ↑ RHS A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants. United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. 2008. p. 1136. ISBN 1405332964.
  5. ↑ Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Famlies, name overview, Fritillaria acmopetala Boiss.
  6. ↑ Peter Sheasby, Bulbous plants of Turkey and Iran. Eynsham/Oxford, Information Press 2007, 119
  7. ↑ A. K. Jackson, W. B. Turrill, On the Flora of the Nearer East: XIX. Additions, etc., to the Flora of Cyprus. Bulletin of Miscellaneous Information Royal Gardens, Kew 1938/10, 467, Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/4113450
  8. ↑ Bou Khater, M. (2010). "Espèce: Fritillaria acmopetala Boiss.". Lebanon Flora. Faculté des sciences Université Saint-Joseph de Beyrouth. Retrieved May 4, 2011.
  9. ↑ Boissier, Pierre Edmond. 1846. Diagnoses Plantarum Orientalium novarum. Lipsiae ser. 1, 7: 104. According to Pavord, the inside is green
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Anna Pavord, Bulb. London, Mitchell Beazley 2009, 210
  11. ↑ Peter Sheasby, Bulbous plants of Turkey and Iran. Oxford, Information Press 2007, 119

External links