''Bellevalia'' is a genus of plants in the family

Asparagaceae Asparagaceae, known as the asparagus family, is a family of flowering plants, placed in the order Asparagales of the monocots. The family name is based on the edible garden asparagus, ''Asparagus officinalis''. Those who live in the temperate c ...

, subfamily

Scilloideae Scilloideae (named after the genus ''Scilla'', "squill") is a subfamily of bulbous plants within the family ''Asparagaceae''. Scilloideae is sometimes treated as a separate family Hyacinthaceae, named after the genus ''Hyacinthus''. Scilloideae or ...

. It was first described as a genus in 1808. Bellevalia in Behbahan, Iran

The approximately 65 species are found from the Mediterranean: Turkey (about 12 species) and Israel (12 species), to central Asia: Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan (two species).

Description

''Bellevalia'' species are perennial

herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition of t ...

plants. As geophytes, they form bulbs with a membranous sheath ("tunic"). The simple, parallel-veined leaves are basal. Grape-like inflorescences grow terminally on smooth cylindrical flower stems. The numerous flowers are located in the

axils A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, st ...

of small, membranous bracts. The hermaphroditic flowers are triple. The six identically shaped bracts are one-third to one-half their length and deformed tubular, bell-shaped or funnel-shaped in form. The color of the bracts ranges from white to cream to brown or more rarely from blue to purple. The fruit capsule is triangular in cross section with winged edges. The

seeds A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiosperm pl ...

are more or less spherical, rarely elongated and glossy.

Taxonomy

The genus ''Bellevalia'' was first described in 1808 by Philippe-Isidore Picot de Lapeyrouse. The genus name honors the French botanist

Pierre Richer de Belleval Pierre Richer de Belleval (1564 – November 17, 1632), was a French botanist. He is considered the father of scientific botany. Richer de Belleval was born in Châlons-en-Champagne. His father was N. Richer or Richier. He first went to Mon ...

(1564-1632).Sandro Pignatti (Hrsg.): Flora d'Italia. Vol. 1–3, Edagricole, Bologna 1982 (Nachdruck 2002), , S. 374 (Band 3). A

synonym A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are all ...

for ''Bellevalia'' is ''Strangweja'' Bertol. The homonym genus ''Bellevalia''

Roem. Johann Jacob Roemer (8 January 1763, Zurich – 15 January 1819) was a physician and professor of botany in Zurich, Switzerland. He was also an entomologist. With Austrian botanist Joseph August Schultes, he published the 16th edition of Carl ...

Schult. Josef (Joseph) August Schultes (15 April 1773 in Vienna – 21 April 1831 in Landshut) was an Austrian botanist and professor from Vienna. Together with Johann Jacob Roemer (1763–1819), he published the 16th edition of Linnaeus' ''Systema ...

is a synonym of the genus ''

Richeria ''Richeria'' is a genus of flowering plant belonging to the family Phyllanthaceae first described as a genus in 1797. It is native to Central America, South America, and the West Indies. ''Richeria'' is dioecious, with male and female flowers ...

'' Vahl from the family Phyllanthaceae. Some species formerly belonged to the genus ''

Hyacinthus ''Hyacinthus'' is a small genus of bulbous, spring-blooming perennials. They are fragrant flowering plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae and are commonly called hyacinths (). The genus is native to the area of the eastern M ...

''. The genus ''Bellevalia'' is placed in the tribe

Hyacintheae Hyacintheae is a flowering plant tribe in the subfamily Scilloideae. References * Manning, J.C., Goldblatt, P., & Fay, M.F. (2004) A revised generic synopsis of Hyacintheaceae in sub-Saharan Africa, based on molecular evidence, including new ...

in the subfamily

within the family

Species

According to the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families,R. Govaerts, B. J. M. Zonneveld, S. A. Zona: World checklist of Asparagaceae. Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
''Search on Bellevalia''
Access date 8 July 2014 there are 65 ''Bellevalia'' species: ;Species formerly included moved to '' Alrawia Althenia

Hyacinthella ''Hyacinthella'' is a genus of bulbous flowering plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae (formerly the family Hyacinthaceae).Stevens, P.F. (2001 onwards),Asparagales: Scilloideae, ''Angiosperm Phylogeny Website'', retrieved 201 ...

Leopoldia ''Leopoldia'' is a genus of bulbous perennial plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae. The genus is widespread around the Mediterranean region and neighboring lands, from the Canary Islands to Iran. ''Leopoldia'' species were ...

Muscari ''Muscari'' is a genus of perennial bulbous plants native to Eurasia that produce spikes of dense, most commonly blue, urn-shaped flowers resembling bunches of grapes in the spring. The common name for the genus is grape hyacinth (a name which is ...

Pseudomuscari ''Pseudomuscari'' is a genus of bulbous perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from short ...

References

Bibliography

* S. I. Ali: ''Flora of Pakistan. Volume 214: Hyacinthaceae.'' University of Karachi, Department of Botany, Karachi 2005, S. 2
''Bellevalia'' online

GRIN

Gustav Heynhold: Nomenclator botanicus hortensis: Oder, Alphabetische und synonymische Aufzählung der in den Gärten Europa's Cultivirten Gewächse, nebst Angabe ihres Autors, ihres Vaterlandes, ihrer Dauer und Cultur. Band 2. Arnoldische Buchhandlung, Dresden und Leipzig 1846, p. 64

Cristian Brullo, Salvatore Brullo, S. Pasta: Bellevalia pelagica (Hyacinthaceae), a new species from the Islet of Lampione (Pelagian Archipelag, Sicily). In: Edinburgh Journal of Botany. vol. 66, No. 1, 2009, p. 65–75

A. Jafari, A. A. Maassoumi: A New Species of Bellevalia (Liliaceae/Hyacinthaceae) from Iran. In: Edinburgh Journal of Botany. vol 65, No. 3, 2008, p. 469–473

External links

Flora of Israel

Pacific Bulb Society

International Bulb Society
{{Taxonbar, from=Q148948 Asparagaceae genera Scilloideae