Gagea
Encyclopedia
Gagea is a large genus
of spring
flower
s in the Liliaceae
found in Europe
and western Asia
. It is named after the English
naturalist Sir Thomas Gage
. They were originally described as species of Ornithogalum, which, together with the usual yellow colour of the flowers, explains the English
name Yellow Star-of-Bethlehem for the most common species in Europe, Gagea lutea, which grows in damp deciduous
woodland
.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of spring
Spring (season)
Spring is one of the four temperate seasons, the transition period between winter and summer. Spring and "springtime" refer to the season, and broadly to ideas of rebirth, renewal and regrowth. The specific definition of the exact timing of "spring" varies according to local climate, cultures and...
flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s in the Liliaceae
Liliaceae
The Liliaceae, or the lily family, is a family of monocotyledons in the order Liliales. Plants in this family have linear leaves, mostly with parallel veins but with several having net venation , and flower arranged in threes. Several have bulbs, while others have rhizomes...
found in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and western Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
. It is named after the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
naturalist Sir Thomas Gage
Thomas Gage (botanist)
Sir Thomas Gage, 7th Baronet was an English botanist, from a junior branch of the Gage family of Firle, Sussex. The woodland flower Gagea is named in his honour.-References:...
. They were originally described as species of Ornithogalum, which, together with the usual yellow colour of the flowers, explains the English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
name Yellow Star-of-Bethlehem for the most common species in Europe, Gagea lutea, which grows in damp deciduous
Deciduous
Deciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off", and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally, and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...
woodland
Woodland
Ecologically, a woodland is a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of...
.
Selected species
- Gagea bohemica (Zauschn.) Schult. & Schult.f. - Early Star-of-Bethlehem, Radnor Lily
- Gagea caelestis Levichev
- Gagea calantha Levichev
- Gagea chlorantha (M.Bieb.) Schult. & Schult.f.
- Gagea dschungarica Regel
- Gagea fistulosa Ker Gawl.
- Gagea germainae Grossh.
- Gagea graeca (L.) Irmsch.
- Gagea lutea (L.) Ker Gawl. - Yellow Star-of-Bethlehem
- Gagea minimaGagea minimaGagea minima is a plant species in the genus Gagea.Its native range is quite large, as it is found in much of mediterranean, southeastern, central and northern Europe ; and Russian...
(L.) Ker Gawl. - Gagea pedata Levichev
- Gagea popovii Vved.
- Gagea pratensisGagea pratensisGagea pratensis is a plant species in the genus Gagea....
(Pers.) Dumort. - Meadow Gagea - Gagea pusilla (F.W.Schmidt) Schult. & Schult.f.
- Gagea reticulata (Pall.) Schult. & Schult.f.
- Gagea taurica Steven
- Gagea ugamica Pavlov
- Gagea villosa (M.Bieb.) Duby - Field Gagea
- Gagea vvedenskyi Grossh.
- List source :