Fritillaria raddeana

Fritillaria raddeana is a perennial herbaceous bulbous plant, distributed in Iran, Turkmenistan and Kashmir. It is a species in the genus Fritillaria, in the lily family Liliaceae. It is placed in the subgenus Petilium. Resembling Fritillaria imperialis, but shorter, it is sometimes referred to as the dwarf crown imperial.

Description

The inflorescence forms an umbel of 10–20 pendent bell-shaped flowers with six tepals that are yellowish to green. Nectaries 2–3 mm in diameter. Stem of about 2 1/2' feet in height. The umbel is topped with a pineapple-like tuft of narrow leaf-like bracts. On the stem are shiny, glaucous, lanceolate, pale green alternate leaves, up to 5 " in length. The chromosome number is 2n = 24
In common with closely related species including Fritillaria imperialis, the flowers of F. raddeana are often said to have a characteristically disagreeable scent.

In 1874 Baker had subdivided genus Fritillaria into ten subgenera. In subgenus Petilium he included a single species, F. imperialis. In 1887 Regel added a second species, F. raddeana. He named the species after Gustav Ferdinand Richard Radde.

F. raddeana is found in rocky areas in Iran, Turkmenistan and Kashmir at altitudes of 900–1800 meters, but is also seen in lowlands.

Fritillaria raddeana is hardy to USDA zones 5–8., and blooms from April to May, in full sun to part shade.