Practical
Plants

Fritillaria atropurpurea

Purple Fritillary

a member of the Fritillaria genus in the family Liliaceae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Family
Liliaceae
Height
0.6 m
Spread
0.05 m
Fertility
Insects
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Insects

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Bulb - raw or cooked[5]. Rich in starch[5]. Rather small, it is usually less than 15mm in diameter[6].

Plant part
Root

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The plant has been pulverized into a salve and applied to scrofulous swellings[7].

Product or use
Salve

Environment

Range
Western N. America - California to Oregon, N. Dakota and New Mexico.
Habitat
Rich damp soils in valleys and open woods, also in mountains to near the timberline[5].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
light shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 4+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - best sown as soon as ripe in a cold frame, it should germinate in the spring[1]. Protect from frost[2]. Stored seed should be sown as soon as possible and can take a year or more to germinate[2]. Sow the seed quite thinly to avoid the need to prick out the seedlings. Once they have germinated, give them an occasional liquid feed to ensure that they do not suffer mineral deficiency. Once they die down at the end of their second growing season, divide up the small bulbs, planting 2 - 3 to an 8cm deep pot. Grow them on for at least another year in light shade in the greenhouse before planting them out whilst dormant. Division of offsets in August[1]. The larger bulbs can be planted out direct into their permanent positions, but it is best to pot up the smaller bulbs and grow them on in a cold frame for a year before planting them out in the autumn. Bulb scales[3].

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

A woodland plant, preferring light soils[1]. It is best grown in a well-drained sandy woodland soil[8][9][2]. Plants are best grown in a bulb frame and kept rather dry in summer[9]. Water should be withheld in summer or hot spells[4].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3

  2. Rice. G. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 2. Thompson and Morgan. 1988-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3

  3. RHS Lily Group. Lilies and Related Plants.

    ↩

  4. Bird. R. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 4. Thompson and Morgan. 1990-00-00

    ↩

  5. Craighead. J., Craighead. F. and Davis. R. A Field Guide to Rocky Mountain Wildflowers The Riverside Press 1963-00-00 ISBN 63-7093

    ↩1↩2↩3

  6. Britton. N. L. Brown. A. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada Dover Publications. New York. 1970-00-00 ISBN 0-486-22642-5

    ↩

  7. Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998-00-00 ISBN 0-88192-453-9

    ↩

  8. Grey. C. H. Hardy Bulbs. Williams & Norgate. 1938-00-00

    ↩

  9. Phillips. R. and Rix. M. Bulbs Pan Books 1989-00-00 ISBN 0-330-30253-1

    ↩1↩2

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