Quick Facts

Scientific name:  Fritillaria meleagris

Size:  Grows to a height of 40cm

Distribution:  Found mainly in the south and east of England, especially Cambridgeshire, Oxfordshire and Wiltshire

Flowering Months:  April to May

Habitat:  Damp meadows, pastures and open woods

Special features:  Sometimes called the 'Checkered Lily', 'Chequered Daffodil', 'Lazarus Bell' or 'Leper Lily', referring to the bell shape of the flowers (similar to the bells carried by lepers in medieval times).

Snake's Head Fritillaries used to be more common, but with ground drained for agriculture, gravel extraction and development, the wild colonies are now few and far etween.

None of the other fritillaria genus can match this native wild flower for it's bizarre chequered pattern which really does have a reptilian look about it.  The petals appear mostly in shades of purple overlaying pale silvery scales.

Some are coloured creamy-white, but when the light shines through them you notice that even these ones have a pale chequered watermark.  Also look out for the less common double headed specimens which have two flowers growing from a single stem.

A couple of good places to find these flowers are Magdelan Meadow in Oxford, and North Meadow at Cricklade in Wiltshire, where these were photographed.

Related Pages

• UK Safari Wild Flowers Section
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