Fritillaria assyriaca is a bulbous herbaceous perennial plant occurring in a region stretching from Turkey to Iran. It is a species in the genus Fritillaria, in the lily family Liliaceae. It is placed in the subgenus Fritillaria.
Fritillaria assyriaca is one of the more variable Fritillaria species. Flowers are 1âÂÂ2 per stem, occasionally 5, narrow and campanulate tubular, perianth segments variable usually greenish or dusky reddish or purplish brown with green fascia, occasionally striped, yellowish inside, and sometimes reflexed (recurved) towards the tip. The outer segments measure 15-25ÃÂ4âÂÂ5 mm and are narrowly oblong. The inner segments measuring 5âÂÂ10 mm in width are usually (blunted at the tip). The nectaries measure 2âÂÂ4ÃÂ1 mm and are linear-lanceolate and are about 1 mm above the base of the segment. The style is stout, and may be 5âÂÂ10 mm long but usually 7âÂÂ8 mm and 1.5âÂÂ2 mm in diameter. It is usually undivided or slightly lobed at its apex. The stamens consist of filaments which are 5âÂÂ9 mm in length and are swollen and papillose with anthers that are 4âÂÂ6 mm long. The capsule is about 26 mm long, cylindrical, and not winged.
The leaves are usually 4âÂÂ6 per stem, but may be up to 12. The lowest of these measuring 3-9ÃÂ0.3-1.9 cm, sometimes opposite and ovate-lanceolate, while the remainder are shorter, alternate, usually canaliculated (channeled), especially when young, linear, and glaucous. Bulbs up to 3 cm in diameter, with stolons or bulbils frequently present. The stem varies between 4âÂÂ20 cm in height but may reach 35 cm when bearing fruit, and may frequently have papillae present at ground level.
Fritillaria assyriaca, a tetraploid, has a very large genome. With approximately 127 pg (130 Gb (Giga base pairs)), it was for a long time the largest known genome, exceeding the largest vertebrate animal genome known to date, that of the marbled lungfish (Protopterus aethiopicus), in size.
The specimen that Baker named in 1874 was collected by Haussknecht in 1867, from a locale thought to be in south-eastern Turkey. It had been confused with another species, now known as F. uva-vulpis Rix. Previously it was referred to as F. assyriaca hort. till Rix proposed F. uva-vulpis in 1974 to avoid confusion. However, many plants offered for commercial sale as F. assyriaca today are in fact F. uvs-vulpis.
One of the more widespread species in the genus, F. assyriaca is found from central Turkey in the Ankara region, east to Agri in the far eastern part of Turkey, and south towards Shiraz, Iran, and often occupies disturbed habitats.
Flowering occurs from March to May.