Fritillaria bucharica

Rare and mysterious, this fritillary or Frillaria bucharica is a montane bulbous plant found in rocky terrains, producing early in spring striking flowering stems adorned with star-shaped flowers, white-silver with a green throat, emerging from large grey-green, rough leaves. It is a perfectly hardy plant, quite easy to grow in the sun, in well-drained soil of rockeries or borders, or even in pots.

The Fritillaria bucharica is a bulbous, deciduous perennial plant of the lily family, native to earthy and rocky slopes of Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan. Its bulb, with a diameter of 1 to 3 cm (0 to 1in), produces a herbaceous plant reaching 15 to 35 cm (6 to 14in) in height. The leaves are alternate, the basal ones reaching 8 cm (3in) x 4 cm (2in) and becoming smaller and elongated as they move up the sturdy and often arched stem, adorned with numerous bracts. Flowering takes place from March to May, arranged at the top of the flowering stem. The flowers, numbering from 1 to 10, are downward-facing and composed of 6 white petals, green at the base, with green veins, measuring 1.5 to 2 cm (1in) in length and 0.7 to 1 cm (0in) in diameter. The throat of the flower, like the stamens, is distinctly green.

This Asian fritillary is a plant that will pique the curiosity of gardeners who love rare plants, but also a star of spring. It can be used in well-drained flowerbeds or rockeries, for example, in the company of plants originating, like it, from the mountainous regions of Central Asia; numerous botanical tulips, astragalus, yarrows, geraniums, or the perennial Geranium rotondifolium. It also thrives very well in pots, in well-drained substrate, protected from winter humidity.

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