FRITILLARIA DAVISII

Fritillaria is a genus of perennial bulbous plants. It includes some 140 species, which are distributed across in the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, with eastern Mediterranean being a center of diversity for the genus. In Greece occur 22 native species, nine of which are endemic. Fritillaries bear striking bell-shaped flowers and many species are cultivated as ornamentals. The name of the genus comes from the Latin fritillus which means a dice box, and refers to the checkered patterns on the flowers of some species of fritillary.

Fritillaria davisii

Fritillaria davisii (Fritillaria of Davis) was discovered by the renowned British botanist Peter H. Davis in 1940 near the village of Pyrgos Dirou, Mani. It has also been found in other areas of the Mani region in South Peloponnese. The locals call it "anguraki" (little cucumber). It has been  included in the IUCN Red List as Near Threatened species due to the limited area of its distribution and the small number of its populations.