Snake’s Head Fritillary

The flowers are up to 4.5 cm large, typically single (rarely paired) at the top of the stem, bell-shaped and nodding. The broad, bell-shaped flowers hang downward and have six petals, distinctly purple-and-white checkered, though occasionally a completely white flower can be found. From an underground bulb, the plant produces a slightly curved, hollow, bluish-green stem, 15–30 cm high, with 4 to 6 sessile, grooved, smooth leaves. It blooms in March or April. The snake’s head fritillary (Fritillaria meleagris) in Slovenia grows only in a few remaining habitats in the northeastern parts of the country, particularly along the Pesnica and Polskava river basins, and in the Ljubljana Marshes area. It is also found in Western Europe and the Caucasus. Both in Slovenia and elsewhere in Europe, it has become increasingly rare, due to the alteration and destruction of its natural wetland habitats. In Slovenia, the snake’s head fritillary has been protected since 1949.