Fritillaria imperialis L. - Liliaceae - crown imperial, Kaiser's crown, **Kaiserkrone**

Perennial herb, up to 1m high; bulbs 4-5cm in diam.; leaves in 3-4 whorls, 4-8 in each whorl, sessile, lance-shaped, glossy; flowers 3-5 in umbel, campanulate, orange, red. [[http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=5&taxon_id=250095930]]

"The native range of this species is E. Central & SE. Türkiye to W. Himalaya. It is a bulbous geophyte and grows primarily in the temperate biome." [[https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/535166-1]]

"While the wild form is usually orange-red, various colours are found in cultivation, ranging from nearly a true scarlet through oranges to yellow. The pendulous flowers make a bold statement in the late spring garden; in the northern hemisphere, flowering takes place in late spring, accompanied by a distinctly foxy odour that repels mice, moles and other small animals." [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fritillaria_imperialis]]

{{prenylthiol.png}} 3-methyl-2-butene-1-thiol (prenyl mercaptane, prenylthiol)

"To identify the component(s) causing the foxy odor, characteristic for some Fritillaria imperialis cultivars, the headspace of flower bulbs was analyzed using gas chromatography-olfactometry (GC-O) and GC-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Six Fritillaria species and cultivars were selected as follows: F. imperialis cv. Premier (very strong foxy odor), F. imperialis cv. Lutea (strong foxy odor), F. imperialis ssp. Inodora (no odor), Fritillaria eduardii (weak mousy odor), Fritillaria raddeana (no odor), and an F1 of F. imperialis Lutea × Inodora (weak foxy odor). Volatiles from these flower bulbs were accumulated on Tenax and injected into the GC by thermodesorption. The majority of the volatiles consisted of low molecular weight aliphatic compounds. GC-O revealed that the foxy odor was caused by a single component, identified as [[http://www.thegoodscentscompany.com/data/rw1056341.html|3-methyl-2-butene-1-thiol]] on the basis of smell in GC-O analyses (two GC columns), mass spectra, and retention times. Chemical identification was substantiated by GC-O and GC-MS of an authentic standard of 3-methyl-2-butene-1-thiol, prepared by organic synthesis." \\
[Helsper, Johannes Petrus Franciscus Gerardus, et al. "Identification of the volatile component (s) causing the characteristic foxy odor in various cultivars of Fritillaria imperialis L.(Liliaceae)." Journal of agricultural and food chemistry 54.14 (2006): 5087-5091] 

{{http://www.botanische-spaziergaenge.at/Bilder/Lumix_4/P1280509.JPG?600}} \\
Fritillaria imperialis, Erholungspark Laaer Berg \\ © Rolf Marschner (2010) [[http://botanische-spaziergaenge.at/viewtopic.php?f=510&t=1756| www.botanische-spaziergaenge.at]]