Ruth is responsible for today's write-up:
Thank you to cistusolymp@Flickr for sharing this photograph via the Botany Photo of the Day Flickr Pool.
The genus Fritillaria is currently a member of the Liliaceae. Historically, the Liliaceae has been a catch-all family, where genera of unknown descent were tentatively placed. Recently, due to advanced genetic research, the Liliaceae has undergone a "spring cleaning" -- many genera were removed and reclassified into a diverse set of families. However, Fritillaria has escaped reclassification.
The word Fritillaria is derived from the Latin word fritillus meaning "dice box". This refers to its often checkered or tessellated pattern. This species is less conspicuous than its relative Fritillaria meleagris, the snakehead fritillary, as it doesn't have the checkered petals that snakehead fritillary (and many others) have. This fritillary is said to be un-tesselated (un-checkered).
Fritillaria bithynica is native to the Aegean Islands between Greece and Turkey as well as Turkey. It is a small, understory, herbaceous plant and quite sophisticated in its monochromatic inconspicuous green hue.
woah first comment!!
i must say, this plant has inspired me to go finish my genetics homework!!! not. but interesting write up! that's awesome it means dice box, wouldn't have guessed that one ahahahha
Fritillaria fri-ti-lah-ree-a bithynica bi-thin-i-ka Dictionary of Plant Names, Coombes
Just a small note... Fritillaria and other genera still in the Liliaceae escaped classification because they are the closest living relatives of the type genus for that family: Lilium. It is interesting to realize that until the advent of molecular genetic research techniques, it was quite literally impossible to provide a so-called "natural" classification (i.e. a classification that creates evolutionary groups) for the majority of the major monocot lineages since a vast number of them have so many characteristics in common!!
What a lovely photo. I like the simplicity of this Fritillaria. How nice to see on the first day of snow in my town. Spring is coming.
Thank you,
Margaret-Rae