Fritillaria roylei (Van lahusan)
Himalayan Fritillary – Van lahusan (click to enlarge)
| Local name | Himalayan Fritillary (Van lahusan) |
| Botanical name | Fritillaria roylei |
| Family | Liliaceae (Lily family) |
| Description and uses | Himalayan Fritillary is a herbacious plant, 0.5-2 ft tall, commonly found in alpine slopes and shrubberies of the Himalayas, from Pakistan to Uttarakhand, at altitudes of 2700-4000 m. Flowers are yellowish-green to brownish-purple and usually with a chequered pattern in dull purple. Flowers are broadly bell-shaped, hanging looking down, borne singly on the stems, but sometimes in groups of 2-4. Petals are narrow-ovate. 4-5 cm long. Leaves are linear-lancelike, often long-pointed, 5-10 cm, arrange oppositely or in whorls of 2-6 on the stem. Flowering: June-July.
The bulb is supposedly antiasthmatic, antirheumatic, febrifuge, galactogogue, haemostatic, ophthalmic and oxytocic. It is boiled with orange peel and used in the treatment of TB and asthma. |