S.I. Ali

Two taxa, Fritillaria cirrhosa D. Don and Fritillaria roylei Hook., Ic. Pl. 9: t. 860. 1852 are closely related. Hooker f. (Fl. Brit. Ind. 6: 353. 1892) states that Fritillaria cirrhosa is “very nearly allied to Fritillaria roylei, and perhaps, as Wallich believed, a variety of that plant, the leaves are however larger and narrower and the uppermost have cirrhose tips.” S. Dasgupta and Deb (l.c.) have stated that “Examination of large number of specimens collected from Bhutan, Sikkim, Nepal, U.P., H.P., Kashmir, shows that there is no qualitative difference between the two species, smaller plants with smaller bulbs, linear leaves and cirrhose tips of E. Himalaya gradually change to bigger plants with bigger bulbs, broader leaves without cirrhie in W. Himalaya giving some indication of geographical and ecological distinction.” …. “The plants occurring in U.P. and Nepal are intermediate between the two extremes and cannot be grouped in any one of them.” Earlier Turrill (in Curtis Bot. Mag. 170 t. 255. 1955) had stated that extreme specimens differ so greatly one from another that it seems absurd to include them under one species. On the other hand, series of specimens can be so arranged as to show practically continuous variation in characters ….” In view of these considerations, it is proposed to recognize the following taxa:

Lower Taxa

• Fritillaria cirrhosa subsp. cirrhosa
• Fritillaria cirrhosa subsp. roylei (Hook.) Ali

Related Synonym(s):

• Fritillaria roylei Hook. = Fritillaria cirrhosa subsp. roylei (Hook.) Ali