''Bessera'' is a genus of

Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...

plants in the cluster lily subfamily within the asparagus family.Govaerts, R. (1996). World Checklist of Seed Plants 2(1, 2): 1-492. Continental Publishing, Deurne. It is a small genus of 3 known species of mostly

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 ...

flowering plants with

corm A corm, bulbo-tuber, or bulbotuber is a short, vertical, swollen underground plant stem that serves as a storage organ that some plants use to survive winter or other adverse conditions such as summer drought and heat (perennation). The word ' ...

s.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
/ref> They have flowers with petals and petaloid sepals (

tepal A tepal is one of the outer parts of a flower (collectively the perianth). The term is used when these parts cannot easily be classified as either sepals or petals. This may be because the parts of the perianth are undifferentiated (i.e. of very ...

s) with compound pistils. The genus is named for

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

n and

Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...

botanist

Wilibald Swibert Joseph Gottlieb von Besser Wilibald Swibert Joseph Gottlieb von Besser (7 July 1784 – 11 October 1842), known in Russia as Vilibald Gotlibovich Besser (russian: Вилибальд Готлибович Бессер) was an Austrian-born botanist active in the Russian Empire ...

(1784–1842). ''

Bessera elegans ''Bessera elegans'', also known by the common name coral drops, is a cormous herbaceous perennial flowering plant in the family '' Asparagaceae'', from Mexico.Rhs.org.uk. (2020). Bessera elegans , RHS Gardening. nlineAvailable at: https://ww ...

'', called coral drops, is cultivated and is a half-hardy Mexican herbaceous plant growing from corms with drooping terminal umbels of showy red-and-white colored flowers.

Taxonomy

Species

Current species include: #''

'' Schult.f. — central to southern Mexico. #''

Bessera tenuiflora ''Bessera'' is a genus of Mexican plants in the cluster lily subfamily within the asparagus family.Govaerts, R. (1996). World Checklist of Seed Plants 2(1, 2): 1-492. Continental Publishing, Deurne. It is a small genus of 3 known species of mo ...

'' (Greene) J.F.Macbr. —

Baja California Sur Baja California Sur (; 'South Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California Sur ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California Sur), is the least populated state and the 31st admitted state of the 32 federal ent ...

state, including the southern Baja California Peninsula and

Gulf of California The Gulf of California ( es, Golfo de California), also known as the Sea of Cortés (''Mar de Cortés'') or Sea of Cortez, or less commonly as the Vermilion Sea (''Mar Bermejo''), is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean that separates the Baja Ca ...

islands; and the coastal region of mainland Northwestern Mexico. #''

Bessera tuitensis ''Bessera'' is a genus of Mexican plants in the cluster lily subfamily within the asparagus family.Govaerts, R. (1996). World Checklist of Seed Plants 2(1, 2): 1-492. Continental Publishing, Deurne. It is a small genus of 3 known species of mos ...

'' R.Delgad. —

Jalisco Jalisco (, , ; Nahuatl: Xalixco), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Jalisco ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Jalisco ; Nahuatl: Tlahtohcayotl Xalixco), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Federal En ...

state in coastal southwestern Mexico.

Former species

Some plants formerly classified as ''Bessera'' species have been reclassified under other genera, which include: ''

Androstephium The genus ''Androstephium'' is a group of North American plants in the Brodiaeoideae, cluster lily subfamily within the Asparagaceae, asparagus family. It contains two species native to the southwestern and south-central United States. ;Species ...

Drypetes ''Drypetes'' is a plant genus of the family Putranjivaceae, in the order Malpighiales. It was previously in the family Euphorbiaceae, tribe Drypeteae, and was the sole pantropical zoochorous genus of the family. The genus comprises about 200 ...

Flueggea ''Flueggea'', the bushweeds, is a genus of shrubs and trees in the family Phyllanthaceae first described as a genus in 1806. It is widespread across much of Asia, Africa, and various oceanic islands, with a few species in South America and on th ...

Guapira ''Guapira'' is a genus of Neotropical shrubs in four o'clock family.Pulmonaria ''Pulmonaria'' (lungwort) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Boraginaceae, native to Europe and western Asia, with one species (''P. mollissima'') east to central Asia. According to various estimates there may be between 10 and 18 spe ...

.''
Former species include: * ''Bessera azurea —

Pulmonaria angustifolia ''Pulmonaria angustifolia'', the narrow-leaved lungwort or blue cowslip, is a species of flowering plant in the family Boraginaceae, native to central and north eastern Europe. Growing to tall by broad, it is an herbaceous perennial with hairy ...

'' * ''Bessera breviflora — Androstephium breviflorum'' * ''Bessera calycantha — Guapira opposita'' * ''Bessera inermis —

Flueggea virosa ''Flueggea'', the bushweeds, is a genus of shrubs and trees in the family Phyllanthaceae first described as a genus in 1806. It is widespread across much of Asia, Africa, and various oceanic islands, with a few species in South America and on th ...

'' * ''Bessera spinosa — Drypetes alba''

References

Brodiaeoideae Endemic flora of Mexico Flora of Northwestern Mexico Flora of Central Mexico Flora of Southwestern Mexico Asparagaceae genera {{Asparagaceae-stub