fritillary

fritillary

Snake's head (Fritillaria meleagris)

(credit: Ingmar Holmasen)

Any of the approximately 80 species of bulbous, mostly perennial, ornamental herbaceous plants that make up the genus Fritillaria, in the lily family, native primarily to the northern temperate zone. Members have bell-shaped, nodding, usually solitary flowers. In many species the flower has a checkered appearance. The fruit, a capsule, contains many seeds. Snake's head, or toad lily (F. meleagris), a species with poisonous bulbs, and crown imperial (F. imperialis), a strong-smelling plant, are commonly cultivated as garden flowers.

---

fritillary

Name applied to butterflies in several genera (family Nymphalidae). Large fritillaries, or silverspots, belong to the genus Speyeria and usually have silver markings on the undersides of their wings. Many of the smaller fritillaries are members of the genus Boloria. Many fritillary larvae are nocturnal and feed on violet leaves.

---

fritillary [frə′til·ə·rē]

(botany)

The common name for plants of the genus Fritillaria.

(invertebrate zoology)

The common name for butterflies in several genera of the subfamily Nymphalinae.