Leopoldia
Encyclopedia
Leopoldia is a genus
of bulbous
perennial
s in the family Asparagaceae
, subfamily Scilloideae. They were formerly included in the genus Muscari (as the Leopoldia group or subgenus), and like them are often called Grape Hyacinths. Their flowers are arranged in a spike or raceme
with those at the top more brightly coloured than those lower down.
s of flowers, caused by the individual flowers being spaced further apart. The lower fertile flowers are relatively long, often urn-shaped or tubular and are are white, yellow, green or brown but never blue; they have distinct 'shoulders' close to the mouth of the flower, which is smaller than the general diameter of the flower and surrounded by small lobes or "teeth" formed by the ends of the fused tepal
s. The colour of the lobes is a diagnostic feature in identifying species. At the top of the raceme there is usually a tuft of bright violet, blue or pink sterile flowers.
was the first to use Leopoldia as the name of a genus; it was proposed as a provisional name (nomen provisorium) for the genus he later (in 1821) called Hippeastrum
. Although Leopoldia was subsequently validated (i.e. it became the correct name for Hippeastrum), this was overlooked, and Hippeastrum rather than Leopoldia was used for the genus of New World
amaryllids
. In 1845, Filippo Parlatore
independently proposed Leopoldia for a group of species he separated from Muscari. In 1970, Fabio Garbari
and Werner Greuter proposed that Parlatore's Leopoldia should be conserved and Herbert's Leopoldia rejected. This was accepted and Leopoldia Parl. is now a conserved name (nomen conservandum), and so the correct name for the genus described here.
and Puglia region of Italy, under the names "lampascioni", "lampasciuni", "lamponi". They are included in the Ark of Taste
catalogue of heritage foods.
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 bulbous
Bulb
A bulb is a short stem with fleshy leaves or leaf bases. The leaves often function as food storage organs during dormancy.A bulb's leaf bases, known as scales, generally do not support leaves, but contain food reserves to enable the plant to survive adverse conditions. At the center of the bulb is...
perennial
Perennial plant
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives for more than two years. The term is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter lived annuals and biennials. The term is sometimes misused by commercial gardeners or horticulturalists to describe only herbaceous perennials...
s in the family Asparagaceae
Asparagaceae
Asparagaceae is the botanical name of a family of flowering plants, placed in the order Asparagales of the monocots.In earlier classification systems, the species involved were often treated as belonging to the family Liliaceae...
, subfamily Scilloideae. They were formerly included in the genus Muscari (as the Leopoldia group or subgenus), and like them are often called Grape Hyacinths. Their flowers are arranged in a spike or raceme
Raceme
A raceme is a type of inflorescence that is unbranched and indeterminate and bears pedicellate flowers — flowers having short floral stalks called pedicels — along the axis. In botany, axis means a shoot, in this case one bearing the flowers. In a raceme, the oldest flowers are borne...
with those at the top more brightly coloured than those lower down.
Description
Leopoldia can be distinguished from Muscari by being generally taller plants and having more open spikes or racemeRaceme
A raceme is a type of inflorescence that is unbranched and indeterminate and bears pedicellate flowers — flowers having short floral stalks called pedicels — along the axis. In botany, axis means a shoot, in this case one bearing the flowers. In a raceme, the oldest flowers are borne...
s of flowers, caused by the individual flowers being spaced further apart. The lower fertile flowers are relatively long, often urn-shaped or tubular and are are white, yellow, green or brown but never blue; they have distinct 'shoulders' close to the mouth of the flower, which is smaller than the general diameter of the flower and surrounded by small lobes or "teeth" formed by the ends of the fused tepal
Tepal
Tepals are elements of the perianth, or outer part of a flower, which include the petals or sepals. The term tepal is more often applied specifically when all segments of the perianth are of similar shape and color, or undifferentiated, which is called perigone...
s. The colour of the lobes is a diagnostic feature in identifying species. At the top of the raceme there is usually a tuft of bright violet, blue or pink sterile flowers.
Taxonomy
In 1819, William HerbertWilliam Herbert
-Earls:*William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke *William Herbert, 2nd Earl of Pembroke *William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke , Tudor period noble and courtier*William Herbert, 3rd Earl of Pembroke...
was the first to use Leopoldia as the name of a genus; it was proposed as a provisional name (nomen provisorium) for the genus he later (in 1821) called Hippeastrum
Hippeastrum
Hippeastrum is a genus of about 90 species and 600+ hybrids and cultivars of bulbous plants in the family Amaryllidaceae, subfamily Amaryllidoideae, native to tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas from Argentina north to Mexico and the Caribbean. Some species are grown for their large...
. Although Leopoldia was subsequently validated (i.e. it became the correct name for Hippeastrum), this was overlooked, and Hippeastrum rather than Leopoldia was used for the genus of New World
New World
The New World is one of the names used for the Western Hemisphere, specifically America and sometimes Oceania . The term originated in the late 15th century, when America had been recently discovered by European explorers, expanding the geographical horizon of the people of the European middle...
amaryllids
Amaryllidaceae
Amaryllidoideae is the subfamily of flowering plants that takes its name from the genus Amaryllis. It is part of the family Amaryllidaceae, in order Asparagales...
. In 1845, Filippo Parlatore
Filippo Parlatore
Filippo Parlatore was an Italian botanist.Italian botanist, b. at Palermo, 8 Aug., 1816; d. at Florence, 9 Sept., 1877, a devout and faithful Catholic. He studied medicine at Palermo, but practiced only for a short time, his chief activity being during the cholera epidemic of 1837...
independently proposed Leopoldia for a group of species he separated from Muscari. In 1970, Fabio Garbari
Fabio Garbari
Fabio Garbari is an Italian botanist. In 2000–2002 he was listed as a Professor in the Department of Botanical Science of the University of Pisa.-References:...
and Werner Greuter proposed that Parlatore's Leopoldia should be conserved and Herbert's Leopoldia rejected. This was accepted and Leopoldia Parl. is now a conserved name (nomen conservandum), and so the correct name for the genus described here.
Species
, the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families accepts 10 species:- Leopoldia bicolor (Boiss.) Eig & Feinbrun
- Leopoldia caucasica (Griseb.) Losinsk.
- Leopoldia comosaLeopoldia comosaLeopoldia comosa is a perennial bulbous plant. Usually called the Tassel Hyacinth, it is one of a number of species and genera also known as Grape Hyacinths. It is found in rocky ground and cultivated areas, such as cornfields and vineyards, in south-east Europe to Turkey and Iran, but has...
(L.) Parl. - Leopoldia cycladica (P.H.Davis & D.C.Stuart) Garbari
- Leopoldia eburnea Eig & Feinbrun
- Leopoldia gussonei Parl.
- Leopoldia longipes (Boiss.) Losinsk.
- Leopoldia maritima (Desf.) Parl.
- Leopoldia tenuiflora (Tausch) Heldr.
- Leopoldia weissii Freyn
Uses
L. comosa bulbs are pickled and eaten in Iran under the name "موسیر" ([Moo'sir]), and also in Greece under the name βολβοί ([vol'vi] lit. 'bulbs') and in the BasilicataBasilicata
Basilicata , also known as Lucania, is a region in the south of Italy, bordering on Campania to the west, Apulia to the north and east, and Calabria to the south, having one short southwestern coastline on the Tyrrhenian Sea between Campania in the northwest and Calabria in the southwest, and a...
and Puglia region of Italy, under the names "lampascioni", "lampasciuni", "lamponi". They are included in the Ark of Taste
Ark of Taste
The Ark of Taste is an international catalogue of heritage foods in danger of extinction which is maintained by the global Slow Food movement. The Ark is designed to preserve at-risk foods that are sustainably produced, unique in taste, and part of a distinct ecoregion...
catalogue of heritage foods.