Plants
A dense stand of crown imperials among lush green leaves: tall dark stems, each topped by a ring of hanging orange-red bells under a tuft of narrow leaves.

PlantLiliaceae

Crown imperial

Fritillaria imperialis

Names across Kurdistan

Kurmanji
Şilêr, Şilêra sernixwûn

Not recorded yet in Sorani, Badini, Zazaki and Hawrami

Bi Kurmancî bixwîne

Flowers
March to May
Height
60–100 cmUp to your waist
Native range
The Zagros mountain range.

The şilêr is known as the flower of the Kurds. In 1753 Carl Linnaeus gave it its scientific name, Fritillaria imperialis. It is widespread in most regions of Kurdistan, especially in Colemêrg (Hakkari) and Serhed. Because of its loveliness and delicacy it has long been on the lips of poets and singers, and its beauty makes it one of the most prized and striking of all flowers.

English name

Crown imperial.

Number of species

One main species, occurring in several colours, is recorded under this scientific name. Several sister species, with their own names and colours, grow in other countries. The şilêr is considered a flower characteristic of this region, the Zagros mountain range.

SourceWeysî Silêman Elî, Kulîlk û Gul bi Kurdî (Flowers and Blossoms in Kurdish), Flora Kurdica, 2025, lesson 1.
SourceInternational Plant Names Index, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Harvard University Herbaria and Australian National Herbarium.
SourcePhoto: Jörg Freyhof, CC BY-NC 4.0, via iNaturalist.

Written by Weysî Silêman Elî · Last updated 14 November 2026

Also flowering in spring

All 20 plants