Fritillaria imperialis - Crown Imperial

Two legends about this stately flower...

The Crown Imperial was once pure white and grew in the Garden of Gethsemane. When Jesus was arrested, every flower in the garden bowed it's head – but not the proud Crown Imperial. When Jesus kindly reprimanded it for its pride, it bowed its head, blushed deeply, and wept. 

The second legend was about an exceptionally beautiful Persian queen. Her pure beauty was the reason the king mistrusted her and accused her of infidelity. He banned her from the palace after which she sadly wandered over the fields knowing that she was innocent. She cried so many tears that she shrank to the size of a plant. When she stopped walking, her feet took root in the ground and she changed into a Crown Imperial.


You can see the tear drops in the extra!  (Windy day so not as sharp as I'd have liked!)