Turkish Fritillaria

Elegant, chocolate bells with a flash of gilt.
The inner petals are gold, and the outer a deep mahogany purple with matching gold trim. As the blooms age, the petal tips reflex, exposing more of the gold.
The blooms open on narrow stems, sometimes alone, but most often in pairs, or trios. Each is around 2.5cm long.
The leaves are mid green and grass like, growing 5-12cm tall.
Also commonly known as Fox’s Grape, it is native to the dry, rocky soils of Turkey, Iran and Iraq.
Turkish Fritillaria needs good drainage, especially over their dormant summer period. Water to establish, and keep just moist in active growth. The bulbs can be left in the ground to naturalise. The flowers can set viable seed, though you will wait a few years for flowers. The bulbs will multiply at a steady rate.
Plant Turkish Fritillaria in rock gardens, at the front of beds or in pots. If you have a garden over a wall it would be nice to plant them on the edge so you can look up and admire the internal golden shades.
Out of interest, Turkish Fritillaria has more chromosomes, or DNA than any other known flora or fauna.