Editing Fritillaria (section)

== Distribution and habitat ==
[[File: Fritillaria distribution map.png|thumb|upright=1.5|Distribution map of ten ''Fritillaria'' species in Europe and western and central Asia|alt=Map showing the distribution of ten species of Fritillaria in Europe and Asia]]
[[File:لاله‌های واژگون در کوه دنا.jpg|alt=Fritillaria Imperialis in Dena, Iran|thumb|[[Fritillaria imperialis|Fritillaria Imperialis]] in [[Dena]], [[Iran]]]]
''Fritillaria'' are distributed in most [[temperate zone]] of the [[Northern Hemisphere]], from western [[North America]], through [[Europe]], the [[Mediterranean]], [[Middle East]] and [[Central Asia]] to China and Japan.{{sfn|Day et al|2014}}{{sfn|Türktaş et al|2012}}{{sfn|Rønsted et al|2005}}{{sfn|Brickell|2016}} [[Centres of diversity]] include Turkey (39 species){{sfn|Alp et al|2009}} and the [[Zagros Mountains]] of Iran (14–15 species).{{sfn|Bonyadi et al|2017}}{{sfn|Advay|Sharifi-Tehrani|2016}} Iran is also the centre of diversity of species such as ''F. imperialis'' and ''F. persica''.{{sfn|Ebrahimie et al|2006}} There are five areas of particularly active evolution and clustering of species - [[California]], Mediterranean Greece and Turkey, [[Anatolia]] and the Zagros mountains, central Asia from Uzbekistan to western [[Xinjiang]] and the eastern [[Himalayas]] in [[southwestern China]].{{sfn|Rix|Strange|2014}} ''Fritillaria'' species are found in a wide variety of [[climatic regions]] and [[habitats]], but about half of them show a preference for full sun in open habitats.{{sfn|Rønsted et al|2005}}

A number of ''Fritillaria'' are widely [[introduced species|introduced]]. Cultivated fritillaries (''F. meleagris'') have been recorded in British gardens since 1578, but only in the wild since 1736, it is likely to be [[introduced species|introduced]], rather than be [[endemic]]. It is greatly diminished there due to loss of habitat, although persistent along the River [[Thames]] in [[Oxfordshire]].{{sfn|Mabey|1996}}{{sfn|Byfield|2013}}{{sfn|Larkin|2011}} ''F. imperialis'' was introduced into Europe around the 1570s, with [[Ulisse Aldrovandi]] sending a drawing to [[Francesco I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany|Francesco de' Medici]] in [[Florence]], famed for his gardens at [[Villa di Pratolino]] in 1578. His friend [[Jacopo Ligozzi]] (1547–1627) was also including it in his paintings, as well as ''F. persica''.{{sfn|Tomasi|Hirschauer|2002}} In Britain, ''F. imperialis'' was first seen in the London garden of James Nasmyth, surgeon to [[James VI and I|King James I]] in April 1605.{{sfn|Pavord|2005|loc=Chapter xx Note 9}}