May 17, 2019
The unique crown imperial flower, which grows upside down, is being pushed to the brink of extinction, according to a report in the Tehran Times.
Its problems are many, including overgrazing by livestock, land use changes, illegal bulb and flower harvesting, road construction, mining activities and drought.
Growing over a wide stretch from Turkish Anatolia, across the plateau of Iran, especially in the province of Kohgiluyeh va Boyer Ahmad, to Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Himalayan foothills, the crown imperial is a species of flowering plant of the lily family.
Fritillaria imperialis, its botanic name, grows to about 1 meter in height and bears lance-shaped, glossy leaves at intervals along the stem. It bears a prominent whorl of downward facing flowers at the top of the stem, topped by a ‘crown’ of small leaves, hence the name. While the wild form is usually orange-red, various colors are found in cultivation, ranging from nearly a true scarlet through oranges to yellow.
In recent years, a large part of the fritillaria imperialis plain around Koohrang city in Chahar Mahal va Bakhtiari province has been heavily damaged.
Lotfali Cheraqpour, head of the provincial forests, range and watershed management organization, told the Tehran Times the fritillaria imperialis plain in Koohrang city, which once stretched over 3,600 hectares, is now down to less than a thousand hectares.
Citing human activities as the leading cause of the decline, he said the Koohrang plains attract many tourists who pluck the flower without regard to its preservation.
Some people pick the flowers for their beauty and take them to their homes, but due to the bad smell released by the plant after being picked, it cannot be kept at home, he said. Therefore, this kind of harvesting has no benefit for the gatherer, and adversely affects plant growth cycle.
Livestock crossing the plains trample the plants. The flowering season coincides with the migration of nomads.
Morteza Zamanpour, Koohrang city governor, said it is planned to ban entry to the area for the next four years in an effort to preserve the crown imperial.