Fritillarias

Fritillarias are flowers with a special appearance. The flowers themselves look a bit like hanging tulips, but the construction of the flower is completely different from that of a tulip.

In some species, such as Imperialis and Meleagris, the leaves stick up almost like a palm and the flowers hang in a circle below. In the Persica species, the flowers form a cluster on top of the stem. In any case, all fritillarias look very tropical.

In Flanders, the Crown Imperial ( Fritillaria imperialis ) is called 'twelve apostles', perhaps because someone there one day came across a Crown Imperial with exactly twelve flowers on it. But nature is of course unpredictable and does not always give every Crown Imperial the same number of flowers. In any case, it is a beautiful name.