Fritillaria frankiorum
In
April 1993, we were investigating bulbous plants in the Turkish vilayet
of Hatay and on making enquiries of a local farmer about "ters lale"
(literally: hanging lilies), were shown a population of tall green
fritillaries. The population comprised perhaps 100 flowering
individuals, and countless bulblet leaves, growing in very moist soil
in cultivated fields. The very stout stigma and few, narrow,
leaves per stem clearly placed this species close to F. assyriaca Baker
and F. uva-vulpis Rix
(Rix 1974). Two subsequent visits to adjacent Syria resulted
in
the identification of two further sites. In all cases the
plants
were weeds of cultivation and grew in very moist soil and in one place
the fields were still flooded from winter rains. These plants
were in full flower in spite of the fact that the soil was inundated to
a depth of about 10 cm with the stems emerging like pond
marginals. Plants from all three colonies appear identical,
the
flowers opening green and fading to brown as they age.
We
first reported the occurrence of this plant in 1997, and expressed the
opinion then that it was a giant variant of F. assyriaca.
Careful morphological examination of living specimens of both this and
typical F. assyriaca
from four different locations in Turkey as well as cultivated material
of F. uva-vulpis
has now led us to the conclusion that this is a heretofore undescribed
species.
We
have named this new species Fritillaria
frankorum
to honour Ronald and Erna Frank who were with us on each of the above
expeditions and without whose insistence we would probably never have
asked the farmer in the first instance. We now understand
that
following the strict rules on botanical nomenclature, this should have
been F. frankiorum.
This
plant had actually been collected before and specimens reside in the
herbarium in Istanbul, Geneva and Kew but in none of the cases was it
recognised as being a new taxon
We
have grown this plant for many years in moist soil in our cold
greenhouse. It flowers most years and produces huge
quantities of
bulbils. Since is clearly protected from direct sun by crops
(either wheat or tobacco) in the summer and these are irrigated, it
probably does not appreciate being too hot or dry in the summer.
DESCRIPTION
Fritillaria frankiorum
Wallis & Wallis. Plantsman New Series 2(1) 15 – 16
(2003) as ‘frankorum’.
syn.
F.
pinardii sensu Mouterde in Nouvelle Flore du Liban et de
la Syrie, 1: 234 (1966).
Type:
Turkey, Hatay, N of Yayladaği, weed of cultivated fields in seasonally
moist or wet soils, 9th April 1993 (WIS).
Bulb
globose with numerous bulblets and stolons. Stem 25 - 45 cm
above
bulb. Leaves 4 - 6 all alternate, the lowest 6 - 11 x 1 cm,
linear flat or slightly canaliculate, the uppermost, a single bract
leaf 3.5 - 6.5 x 0.3 - 0.4 cm. all glaucescent.
Leaves on
unflowered bulbs shiny green with no trace of glaucescence 7 x 2.5 cm.
Flowers 1 (-2) conical, perianth segments rhomboid, green inside and
out, fading to purplish brown sometimes with a thin purplish edge,
ciliate at the tip. Outer segments 21 - 24 x 7.5 -
8 mm,
inner segments 21 - 24 x 9.5 mm. Nectaries lanceolate,
indistinct
green 4 x 2 mm, 0.5 mm above tepal base. Filaments 7.5 mm,
papillose at distal end, markedly dilated near apex to 1.5 mm narrowing
to a point where the anther is attached. Anthers yellow 6 - 7
mm,
distinctly mucronate at tip. Style 9 x 3 mm, stout, clavate,
papillose. Grows in agricultural fields which are wet or even
inundated in winter, Turkey, southern Hatay and adjacent NW Syria.
TURKEY:
N of Yayladaği, Hatay, Turkey. Cultivated fields, Wallis
93.16 (9th April 1993);
SYRIA:
East of Kassab, North Syria. Cultivated, partly flooded
fields
and other disturbed ground at 700 m, Wallis 96.11 (29th March 1996);
North of Rabi'ah, North Syria Cultivated fields at 600
m,
Wallis 96.16 (30th March 1996).
©2008 Rannveig Wallis
&
Robert B Wallis
|
