Editing Fritillaria (section)

==Uses==

The bulbs of a few species, such as ''[[Fritillaria affinis|F. affinis]]'', ''[[Fritillaria camschatcensis|F. camschatcensis]]'', and ''[[Fritillaria pudica|F. pudica]]'', are edible if prepared carefully. They were commonly eaten by indigenous peoples of the [[Pacific Northwest]] coast of North America.{{sfn|Turner|Kuhnlein|1983}} The wild species flowering in areas such as Iran have become important for [[ecotourism]], when in late May people come to the Valley of Roses, near [[Chelgerd]], to see ''[[Fritillaria imperialis|F. imperialis]]'' blooming.{{sfn|Badfar-Chaleshtori et al|2012}}{{sfn|Bonyadi et al|2017}} The area is also rich in ''[[Fritillaria reuteri|F. reuteri]]'' and ''[[Fritillaria gibbosa|F. gibbosa]]''.{{sfn|Lonely Planet|2017}}{{sfn|Greentours|2017}}
{{wide image|Imerial crown.jpg|1100px|''[[Fritillaria imperialis|F. imperialis]]'' blooming in [[Sepidan county|Sepidan]], in the [[Zagros Mountains]], Iran|alt=Panoramic view of Fritillaria imperialis blooming in the Zagros Mountains in Iran}} Because of their large genome size, ''Fritillaria'' species are an important source for genomic studies of the processes involved in genome size diversity and evolution. They also have important commercial value both in horticulture and traditional medicine.{{sfn|Day et al|2014}}

=== Horticulture ===

Species of ''Fritillaria'' are becoming increasingly popular as [[ornamental garden plants]], and many species and [[cultivars]] are commercially available. They are usually grown from dormant bulbs planted in Autumn. As perennials they repeat flower every year, and some species will increase naturally. While ''Fritillaria'' is mainly harvested from the wild fields for commercial use, the growing price of the herbal product results in over-exploitation and puts the species at risk of depletion.{{sfn|Wang et al|2017}}

The following may be most commonly found in cultivation:-
{{div col|colwidth=27em}}
* ''[[Fritillaria acmopetala]]'' - pointed-petal fritillary
* ''[[Fritillaria imperialis]]'' - crown imperial
* ''[[Fritillaria meleagris]]'' - snake's head fritillary
* ''[[Fritillaria pallidiflora]]'' - Siberian fritillary
* ''[[Fritillaria persica]]'' - Persian fritillary
* ''[[Fritillaria pyrenaica]]'' - Pyrenean fritillary
{{div col end}}

=== {{anchor|traditional}}Traditional medicine ===

Species of ''Fritillaria'' have been used in traditional medicine in China for over 2,000 years, and are one of the most widely used medicines today.{{sfn|Hao et al|2013}} The production of medicines from ''[[Fritillaria cirrhosa|F. cirrhosa]]'' is worth US$400 million per annum. Although some are cultivated for this purpose, most are gathered in the wild. In recent years demand has increased leading to over-harvesting of wild populations. In addition to China, ''Fritillaria'' products are used medicinally in the [[Himalayas]], including India, Nepal and Pakistan, as well as Japan, Korea and Southeast Asia. To meet the demand additional countries such as Turkey and Burma are involved in the collection. The products are used mainly as [[antitussives]], [[expectorants]], and [[antihypertensives]]. The active ingredients are thought to be isosteroidal and [[steroidal alkaloid]] compounds. Chinese sources suggest 16 species as source material, but this may be an overestimate due to the large number of synonyms in Chinese. Of these, 15 are in subgenus ''Fritillaria'' (both subclades), but one (''[[Fritillaria anhuiensis|F. anhuiensis]]'') is in subgenus ''Liliorhiza''.{{sfn|Day et al|2014}}{{sfn|Karakas Metin et al|2013}}{{sfn|Wang et al|2017}} ''F. imperialis'' also has a long history of medicinal usage in China and Iran.{{sfn|Bonyadi et al|2017}}
[[File:干川贝母.jpg|thumb|Dried bulbs of ''[[fritillaria cirrhosa|F. cirrhosa]]''|alt=Group of died bulbs of Fritillaria cirrhosa being prepared for making traditional medicine]]
Fritillaria extracts (fritillaria in English, ''[[bulbus fritillariae cirrhosae]]'' in Latin){{sfn|Lenz|Frey|2005}} are used in [[traditional Chinese medicine]] under the name {{transliteration|zh|chuan bei mu}} (literally "Shell mother from Sichuan",{{sfn|Lenz|Frey|2005}} or just {{transliteration|zh|beimu}}). Species such as ''F. cirrhosa'', ''[[Fritillaria thunbergii|F. thunbergii]]'' and ''[[Fritillaria verticillata|F. verticillata]]'' are used in cough remedies.{{sfn|Zhang et al|2010}}{{sfn|Hao et al|2013}} They are listed as ''chuān bèi'' ({{zh|c=川貝/川贝}}) or ''zhè bèi'' (Chinese: 浙貝/浙贝), respectively, and are often in formulations combined with extracts of [[loquat]] (''Eriobotrya japonica''). ''Fritillaria verticillata'' bulbs are also traded as ''bèi mǔ'' or, in [[Kampō]], ''baimo'' (Chinese/[[Kanji]]: 貝母, [[Katakana]]: バイモ). In one study fritillaria reduced airway inflammation by suppressing [[cytokine]]s, [[histamine]]s, and other compounds of inflammatory response.{{sfn|Yeum et al|2007}}{{sfn|Wang et al|2017}}