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Liliaceae
Imperial Crown
Fritillaria imperialis
Majesty, power, and pride.
- Family
- Liliaceae
- Genus
- Fritillaria
- Native to
- Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Kashmir
- Bloom season
- Spring
- Type
- bulbous perennial
- Height
- 60–120 cm
- Sunlight
- full sun to part shade
- Soil
- fertile, well-drained
- Water
- moderate in growth; dry in dormancy
- Hardiness
- 5–8
- Lifespan
- perennial; bulbs persist for decades
Did you know
- A tuft of leafy bracts crowns the ring of pendant flowers, creating its distinctive 'crown' silhouette.
- The bulb has a strong skunky odor said to repel moles, voles, and deer from the garden.
- Each flower holds a permanent drop of nectar at its base that never falls, even when turned upside down.
- In Persian legend, the flowers weep because a queen was falsely accused — the nectar drops are her tears.
- It was one of the most expensive bulbs during the Ottoman tulip era, rivaling prized tulip cultivars.
Color meanings
Orange
imperial grandeur
Red
sovereign power
Yellow
golden authority