Acis rosea

Acis rosea
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Monocots
Order:	Asparagales
Family:	Amaryllidaceae
Subfamily:	Amaryllidoideae
Genus:	Acis
Species:	A. rosea
Binomial name
Acis rosea (F.Martin bis) Sweet [1]
Synonyms [1]
Leucojum roseumF.Martin bis Galanthus autumnalisAll. Leucojum trichophyllum var. uniflorumRedouté

Acis rosea, known as the rose snowflake, ^[2] is a species of flowering plant in the family Amaryllidaceae, native to Corsica and Sardinia. ^[1] Unlike most members of the genus Acis , it has pink rather than white flowers. It is grown as an ornamental plant but requires protection from frost.

Description

Acis rosea is a small bulbous perennial, growing up to 12 cm (4.7 in) tall. The grey-green leaves are narrow and usually appear after the flowers. Flowering occurs in autumn. The flowers are small, 5–9 mm long, and have pink tepals – most other species of Acis have white tepals. The pedicels (flower stalks) are short, 1–5 mm long. There are two spathes. ^{[2] [3]}

Taxonomy

Acis rosea was first described in 1804 by F. Martin, as Leucojum roseum. In 1829, Robert Sweet transferred it to Acis . ^[1] However, Acis was not accepted by most botanists, who continued to use a broadly circumscribed Leucojum. ^{[2] [3]} Acis was reinstated in 2004, after it was determined on morphological and molecular grounds that the broadly defined genus Leucojum was paraphyletic. ^[4]

Distribution and habitat

Acis rosea is native to the two western Mediterranean islands of Corsica and Sardinia. It is found in rocky ground, dry pastures and sandy places. ^{[2] [3]}

Cultivation

Acis rosea is cultivated as an ornamental bulb. As it is not frost-hardy, it is usually grown in a bulb frame or alpine house. ^{[2] [3]}

References

1. "Acis rosea", World Checklist of Selected Plant Families , Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew , retrieved 2017-12-06
2. Grey-Wilson, Christopher; Mathew, Brian & Blamey, Marjorie (1981), Bulbs : the bulbous plants of Europe and their allies, London: Collins, ISBN   978-0-00-219211-8 , p. 135 (as Leucoium roseum)
3. Mathew, Brian (1987), The Smaller Bulbs, London: B.T. Batsford, ISBN   978-0-7134-4922-8 , pp. 120–121 (as Leucojum roseum)
4. Lledó, Ma D.; Davis, A.P.; Crespo, M.B.; Chase, M.W. & Fay, M.F. (2004), "Phylogenetic analysis of Leucojum and Galanthus (Amaryllidaceae) based on plastid matK and nuclear ribosomal spacer (ITS) DNA sequences and morphology", Plant Systematics and Evolution, 246 (3–4): 223–243, doi:10.1007/s00606-004-0152-0, S2CID   43826738 , retrieved 2017-12-04