What flower is known as the 'crown imperial'?

The flower known as the crown imperial is Fritillaria imperialis.

This striking bulb belongs to the lily family and produces a ring of downward-facing flowers near the top of a tall stem. A tuft of leaves rises above the flowers, creating the crown-like shape that inspired the common name. The species is also called imperial fritillary, Kaiser’s crown and Kurdish tulip.

Fritillaria imperialis is native across parts of Asia, including Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, northern India and the Himalayan foothills. Its flowers are commonly orange-red in the wild, while cultivated forms can be yellow, orange or scarlet.

The plant is not a true lily, despite belonging to the same family, and it is not an allium, iris or ordinary garden lily. It also has a distinctive strong odor, often described as foxy, which gardeners traditionally associate with deterring small animals. Its scientific epithet imperialis means “of the emperor.”