382. FRITILLARIA DAVIDII Liliaceae Martyn Rix and Brian Mathew Summary. The taxonomy, relationships, distribution and cultural requirements of the Chinese Fritillaria davidii Franch. (Liliaceae), a species only recently introduced into cultivation in Britain and still very rare, are discussed; an illustration is provided, together with a full description. This unique and fascinating species of Fritillaria is found only in the foothills of the mountains of south-western China. Its growth pattern is similar to that of Corydalis flexuosa Franch. which appeared in 1998 in the Botanical Magazine (Plate 332), the young leaves emerging in late September or October and remaining green throughout the winter. Although both occur in the same area, the Fritillaria flowers in early spring and goes dormant very soon after flowering, usually by April, whereas the Corydalis continues flowering as late as June if grown in cool conditions. Fritillaria davidii has many unique morphological features, which suggest that it may be an ancient and isolated species. The numerous leaves arising directly from the bulb have unusual venation, with distinct cross veins between the usual parallel veins of an immature lily-type leaf. The leafless flowering stem recalls that of Erythronium but in F. davidii there are 2, 3 or 4 small leaf-like bracts at the stem apex. The multi-scaled bulb is similar to that of some of the American species, and to F. camschatcensis (L.) Fisch. In Asia such bulbs are otherwise found only in F. maximowiczii Freyn from eastern Siberia and north-eastern China and in F. dagana Turcz. from the environs of Lake Baikal, both of which, however, have whorled stem leaves. The perianth segments of F. davidii are regularly covered with swollen-headed papillae, not seen elsewhere in the genus; in herbarium specimens these look like peltate scales. The material in cultivation was introduced into Britain by Mikinori Ogisu from Baoxing, where it grows in Betula alnoides woods on the north-facing hillside near the monastery where PÐere Armand David spent the summer of 1869. In describing the species, based upon David‘s collection, Franchet commented upon the naked stem, observing that this was a very remarkable species; he also noted that David reported that the bulbs had a sweet # Bentham-Moxon Trust 2000. Published by Blackwell Publishers, 108 Cowley Road, Oxford, OX4 1JF, UK and 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148, USA 19 flavour and that they were trÐes mangeables‘. Photographs taken by Mr Ogisu in this habitat show a dense ground cover of ferns, (possibly Matteucia), uncoiling at the time the Fritillaria are flowering. CULTIVATION. As with several of the central and eastern Asiatic fritillarias, root growth of F. davidii begins rather earlier than the more westerly-occurring species, in August or early September. Unlike any others, however, the leaves emerge in late September and remain green throughout the winter. The flower stems appear in late winter and remain just beneath the soil surface for some weeks before elongating and flowering in spring. Most of the leaves begin to go yellow around flowering time and die down in early summer but some may die down sooner than this, perhaps due to excessive shade or wet in winter. The plants seem to thrive equally well in moss peat and pulverized bark with added fertilizer, or in leafmould mixed with perlite. It is probably important that the soil should be a loose medium with plenty of air spaces, and not very acid. Repotting is best done in late spring or early August but not during the summer since the bulbs can dry out and die very rapidly if they are disturbed. The plants are kept watered throughout the summer, standing in plastic pots on the shady side of a wall; they are kept slightly drier in winter. As yet there has been little experience with cultivation in the open garden. Plants put out in a woodland situation in south-west England, in Devon, have survived but not flowered. Fritillaria davidii Franch. in Nouv. Arch. Mus. Hist. Nat. sÑer. II, 10: 93, plate XVI, fig. B (1887 —8). Type: China, Sichuan, Moupine, in apertis montium septentrionem versus frequens‘, David 1869 (holotype P, isotypes K, PE). DESCRIPTION. Bulb of one scale, to 3 cm across, covered with papilla-like outgrowths which end in spindle-shaped bulbils 4 mm long, surmounted by a rosette of short, thick pointed scales which terminate in leaves. Leaves produced in autumn, fading by flowering time, 3 or more per bulb, the stalks slender c. 7 cm above ground, the blades ovate-lanceolate, 2— 2.3 cm broad, 4— 8 cm long, with 3 main veins from the base and around 8 main raised cross veins joining the main veins. Stem 6— 15 cm above ground, c. 5 cm in diameter, speckled with green on a brownish background, with a whorl of 4— 5 leaves at the base of the flower (but overtopping it), each c. 3.5 cm long, 1 cm wide. Flowers 1, rarely 2, broadly bell-shaped, rounded at the angle, greenish yellow, finely marked and tessellated with brown in the lower 23, 20 # Bentham-Moxon Trust 2000. Plate 382 Fritillaria davidii GILLIAN BARLOW faintly scented. Perianth segments 3— 4 cm long, the inner 1.5 cm wide, narrowly ovate, rounded at the apex, the outer narrower, to 1.3 cm wide, covered on the inside and on the margin with 0.5 mm long swollen-headed papillae. Nectary circular, 1 mm across, green, c. 6 mm above the base of the perianth segment. Filaments 14 mm, smooth. Style 17 mm, trifid, the branches 6 mm, slender, smooth. Capsule not known. DISTRIBUTION. China: south-western Sichuan, recorded from the districts of Baoxing (formerly Moupine), Tien chuan and on Mount Omei, with one record further north in Pang county. HABITAT. In loose, peaty soil with ferns, often in Betula alnoides forest, and on grassy slopes, at 1600 — 2550 m. PHENOLOGY. Flowering March —early May. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. Our grateful thanks go to Mikinori Ogisu for the introduction of Fritillaria davidii into Britain in 1995 and to Gillian Barlow for her excellent water-colour of the plant, reproduced here. REFERENCES Anon. (1982). Iconographia Cormophytorum Sinicorum 5: 459, fig. 7748. Beijing. Haw, S.G. (1982). The Chinese species of Fritillaria. Quarterly Bulletin of the Alpine Garden Society 50: 152, with fig. Wang, F.-T. & Tang, T.T. (eds.) (1980). Fritillaria. Flora Reipublicae Popularis Sinicae 14: 116, pl. 29, fig. 4. Beijing. # Bentham-Moxon Trust 2000. 21