Fritillaria latifolia Willd.

Horticultural & Botanical History

‘This has a much larger bulb than Fritillaria meleagris, and is, we think, very sufficiently distinguished by the above specific character; those that wish to know the minuter differences between the two, will find them largely detailed in Redouté’s Liliacees, and concisely in Willdenow, by whom the plant was first raised to the rank of a species; in the figure of Redouté which is very characteristic the colour of the flower is considerably paler than in ours and the leaves appear flatter, or rather more expanded, circumstances that are are very unstable in most of the species of this genus.  Parkinson describes the colour as a “dark yellowish purple, spotted with some small red checkers;” adding, that the species blooms later than others; Willdenow says sooner; with us it did so about the latter-end of April.  From some of the above-cited authors it appears to be of Italian origin; Redoute guesses the South of Europe; to Willdenow the habitat was unknown.  As we did not see the flower in a state sufficiently perfect for inspection, we can give no opinion on the correctness of the minuter differences selected by the above Botanists.  Our drawing was taken at Mr. Williams’s Nursery, Turnham-Green.’  [BM t.853/1805].  An old garden plant, grown in English gardens since at least 1604.  [JD].

History at Camden Park

Marked with a ‘c’, denoting grown at Camden, in an 1836 edition of Loddiges’ catalogue held at Camden Park.  In this case the ‘c’ is scored through with a sloping line the meaning of which is unclear.  [CPA].

Notes

Fritillaria latifolia Frivald. ex Nyman (1882) = Fritillaria graeca Boiss. & Spruner