Hyacinthus is a small genus of bulbous herbs, spring-blooming perennials. They are fragrant flowering plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae and are commonly called hyacinths. The genus is native predominantly to the Eastern Mediterranean region and Afrotropical realm, although naturalized more widely.
Scilloideae 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 Hyacinthaceae include many familiar garden plants such as Hyacinthus (hyacinths), Hyacinthoides (bluebells), Muscari and Scilla and Puschkinia. Some are important as cut flowers.
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, but they should not be confused with hyacinths. A number of species of Muscari are used as ornamental garden plants.
Galtonia is a genus of plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae. Native to Southern Africa, the genus is named after Sir Francis Galton. According to some authorities it has been subsumed into Ornithogalum as a subgenus, while others prefer to keep it as a separate genus.
Massonia is a genus of bulbous perennial flowering plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae. It is native to southern Africa, and is found in localities such as Namaqualand with hot and dry summers, being dormant in summer and growing during winter. The genus Whiteheadia has been merged into Massonia. It is classed as a cryptophyte.
Puschkinia is a genus of four known species of bulbous perennials in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae. It is native to the Caucasus and the Middle East. Puschkinia scilloides is grown as an ornamental bulbous plant.
Scilla nana, known as dwarf glory-of-the-snow, is a bulbous perennial flowering plant endemic to Crete. It flowers in early spring with flowers in shades of lilac blue. After flowering, it goes into dormancy until the next spring. It belongs to a group of Scilla species that were formerly put in a separate genus, Chionodoxa, and may now be treated as Scilla sect. Chionodoxa. It has not always been recognized as distinct from Scilla cretica.
Drimia is a genus of African, south European and south Asian flowering plants. In the APG IV classification system, it is placed in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae. When broadly circumscribed, the genus includes a number of other genera previously treated separately, including Litanthus, Rhodocodon, Schizobasis and Urginea.
Alrawia is a genus of bulbous flowering plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae. It is native to north-eastern Iraq and Iran.
Barnardia is a small genus of bulbous flowering plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae. The genus has two species, one found in the Balearic Islands and north-west Africa, the other in east China, Korea, Japan and adjacent localities. It was suggested in 2012 that the two species were not closely related.
Daubenya is a genus of bulbous flowering plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae. It is native to the Cape Province of South Africa. At first believed to consist of a single species, Daubenya aurea, the genus was expanded in 2000 to include the genera Androsiphonand Amphisiphon and various species that had previously been classified as Polyxena, Massonia, or Neobakeria. "The poor congruence between morphological and other characters within Hyacinthaceae has also made generic circumscriptions very difficult. One of the consequences of this has been the recognition of a large number of genera that are poorly defined morphologically."-
Fessia is a genus of bulbous flowering plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae. It is distributed from Iran to Central Asia and Pakistan.
Merwilla is a genus of bulbous flowering plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae. It is distributed in southern Africa, from Zimbabwe to South Africa. This genus is named after the botanist Frederick Ziervogel Van der Merwe (1894–1968), who worked on this group.
Namophila is a monotypic genus of bulbous flowering plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae. The sole species Namophila urotepala is endemic to Namibia.
Prospero is a genus of bulbous flowering plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae. It is distributed in Europe, around the Mediterranean, and through the Middle East to the Caucasus.
Pseudogaltonia is a genus of bulbous flowering plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae. It is distributed in southern Africa.
Pseudoprospero is a genus of bulbous flowering plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae. The genus has a single species Pseudoprospero firmifolium, which is endemic to South Africa.
Spetaea is a monotypic genus of bulbous flowering plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae. The only known species Spetaea lachenaliiflora is found only in the south-west of the Cape Province in South Africa. Prior to 2003, it was incorrectly known as Scilla plumbea.
Albuca shawii is a species of bulbous plant from southern Africa. It flowers in the summer and has yellow flowers on stems to about 30 cm high.
Eucomis humilis is a species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae, native to KwaZulu-Natal and Lesotho. It was first described by Baker in 1895. The greenish to purplish flowers appear in summer and are arranged in a spike (raceme), topped by a "head" of green leaflike bracts. Cultivated as an ornamental plant, it can be grown successfully outside where frosts are not too severe.
