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ESTABLISHED FORMS OF FRITILLARIA IMPERIALIS L. -A NATURALLY GROWING SPECIES IN TURKEY

ŞEVKET ALP¹^* NEŞET ARSLAN² MEHMET KOYUNCU³

Abstract: Turkey is a rich country in terms of geophytes. Fritillaria genus is a part of this natural wealth with its 39 species that grow naturally. The most popular of these is Fritillaria imperialis L. Naturally, Fritillaria imperialis L., spreads on a wide area. This plant is found from Anatolia to Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kashmir, and high in the Himalayan Mountains. The bulbs of this plant were taken from Anatolia to Europe and then to Australia by the French botanist Carolus Clusius (1525-1609) in 1583. Even though in the past new varieties were developed on the basis of the exported bulbs in Europe, no special breeding programs were carried out. However, in nature the species shows variation. The work presented in this paper, includes the results of observations made during the efflorescence period of the plant in its natural habitats. Significant variations were observed with respect to those characteristics mentioned.

¹Gevaş Vocational School, Yüzüncü Yıl University, 65080 Van, Turkey

²Agronomy Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Ankara University, Ankara, Turkey

³Department of Pharmaceutical, Faculty of Pharmacy Botany, Ankara University, Ankara, Turkey.