Practical
Plants

Fritillaria imperialis

Crown Imperial

a member of the Fritillaria genus in the family Liliaceae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Family
Liliaceae
Height
1 m
Spread
0.3 m
Fertility
Bees
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Bees

Uses

Toxicity

Toxicity warning. The historical record reports a hazard for this plant. Do not use it to decide which parts are safe to eat or use medicinally.

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

The bulb is poisonous raw[15][3], it contains low concentrations of a toxic alkaloid[6][12].

Edible uses

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

Bulb - cooked[3]. A minor source of starch[15][2][7]. Some caution is advised since there are reports of toxicity.

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 bulb is diuretic, emollient and resolvent[12]. It is also a cardiac poison[12]. It has been used as an expectorant and also to encourage increased breast milk production[14]. The fresh plant contains the toxic alkaloid 'imperialine'[12].

Product or use
Diuretic
Product or use
Emollient
Product or use
Galactogogue
Product or use
Resolvent

Environment

Range
W. Asia - W. Himalayas, Turkey and Iran.
Habitat
Cliffs, rocky slopes and amongst scrub, 1000 - 3000 metres in Turkey[17]. On humus rich soils, usually in gullies and shaded sides of large rocks, 1800 - 2600 metres in Kashmir[5].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
light shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 4+
Soil textures
loamy, clay, heavy clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerances
drought
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
tolerant

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[4]. Stored seed should be sown as soon as possible and can take a year or more to germinate[4]. 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[6].

Cultivation

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

Easily grown in a moderately fertile soil[17]. Prefers a heavy soil without any disturbance, not even hoeing[1][16]. Requires a well-drained soil and a sunny position[16][17][9] or the shade of deciduous trees or shrubs[17]. Succeeds in drier soils and is drought tolerant once established[8]. Plants succeed in most fertile soils, avoiding pure chalk, heavy clay and boggy sites[11]. The dormant bulbs are very hardy and will withstand soil temperatures down to at least -10°c[10]. A very ornamental plant, there are some named varieties[11]. The flowers smell of wet fur and garlic[13]. Bulbs should be planted 10 - 12 cm deep in July[1] on their side with sharp sand beneath them to ensure that they do not rot[16][9].

References

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

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  2. Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976-00-00

    ↩

  3. Chakravarty. H. L. The Plant Wealth of Iraq.

    ↩1↩2

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

    ↩1↩2

  5. Singh. Dr. G. and Kachroo. Prof. Dr. P. Forest Flora of Srinagar. Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh 1976-00-00

    ↩

  6. RHS Lily Group. Lilies and Related Plants.

    ↩1↩2

  7. Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169

    ↩

  8. Chatto. B. The Dry Garden. Dent 1982-00-00 ISBN 0460045512

    ↩

  9. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2

  10. Matthews. V. The New Plantsman. Volume 1, 1994. Royal Horticultural Society 1994-00-00 ISBN 1352-4186

    ↩

  11. Thomas. G. S. Perennial Garden Plants J. M. Dent & Sons, London. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0 460 86048 8

    ↩1↩2

  12. Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  13. Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994-00-00 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8

    ↩

  14. Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants Dorling Kindersley. London 1996-00-00 ISBN 9-780751-303148

    ↩

  15. Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984-00-00 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9

    ↩1↩2

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

    ↩1↩2↩3

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

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

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