2015 02 Fritillaria obliqua Ker Gawl

Fritillaria obliqua is a geophyte, endemic to Southern Greece. It is a threatened species (Red Data Book of Greece, IUCN) and it is protected by the Directive 92/43/EEC, the Bern Convention and Presidential Decree 67/1981. It has two subspecies. The typical subspecies occurs in Attiki and Evvoia and flowers in February and March. Subspecies tuntasia occurs in the Kyklades (Kythnos, Serifos, Gyaros) and flowers in March and April. It forms sporadic population in Mediterranean shrublands and it seems that it used to have a more or less continuous distribution, at least in the region of Attiki. The populations who have survived urban development are mainly threatened by grazing and consumption by the red lily beetle (Lilioceris lilii).