Sternbergia are small, bulbous,[11] perennial plants[12] with tunicate bulbs and linear to strap-shaped leaves.[13] The membranous tunics are black or brown.[12]
Sternbergia contains a number of species of flowering bulbs which rather resemble Crocus. These plants produce golden-yellow goblet-shaped flowers borne on stalks some way above the ground that open during the autumn or early winter. The flower is composed of six stamens and a single style attached to an inferior ovary. Long, strap-like leaves may appear with the flowers or sometime after. The only two exceptions to this are S. vernalis and S. candida which flower in the spring, with S. candida producing striking white flowers.
The genus has gained notability due to the widespread use of one of its species, S. lutea, as a garden plant. This species has been found in cultivation for several hundred years, and has become naturalised in many parts of northern Europe, well beyond its natural range.
Cytology
The chromosome count is 2n = 20 or 2n = 22.[14][15]
Taxonomy
Sternbergia lutea was first described in 1601 by Clusius, who included the plants in the genus Narcissus.[16]Carl Linnaeus in 1753 regarded them as part of Amaryllis.[17] It was not until 1825 that the species was transferred to Sternbergia,[18] using the generic name coined in 1804.[4]
Sternbergia clusiana(Ker Gawl.) Ker Gawl. ex Spreng., including S. grandifloraBoiss. ex Baker, S. latifoliaBoiss. & Hausskn. ex Baker, S. macrantha(J.Gay) J.Gay ex Baker, S. sparffiordianaDinsm., S. stipitataBoiss. & Hausskn. - Aegean Islands, Middle East
Three names have been coined using the name Sternbergia but referring to species now considered better suited to other genera (Colchicum, Narcissus and Zephyranthes). We provide links to help you find appropriate information.
The trade of Sternbergia is regulated by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, as it is included in the CITES Appendix II.[1] The IUCN conservation status of Sternbergia pulchella is Data Deficient (DD).[21]
References
1 2 Sternbergia. (n.d.). Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. Retrieved February 10, 2025, from https://cites.org/eng/taxonomy/term/7945
↑ Mathew, B. (1983). A Review of the Genus Sternbergia. The Plantsman 5: 1–16.
↑ Mathew, B. (1984). Sternbergia. In: Davis, PH, ed., Flora of Turkey and the East Aegean Islands 8: 360–364. Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh.
↑ Pasche E, Kerndorff, H. (2002). Die Gattung Sternbergia Waldst. & Kit.(Asparagales, Amaryllidaceae) im Vergleich, unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der wiederentdeckten Sternbergia schubertii Schenk. Stapfia 80: 395–417.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
