Puschkinia
Encyclopedia
Puschkinia is a genus
of two species of bulb
ous perennial
s in the family
Asparagaceae
, subfamily Scilloideae. It is native to Asia
and the Middle East
.
This genus is named in honor of the Russian botanist Apollo Mussin-Pushkin
. It was once included in the Liliaceae
.
Leaves are green and strap-like, growing in twos.
Flowers are borne in early spring in raceme
s to 25 cm (6 in) high.
Seeds are borne in three-parted capsules
. After seed ripens in early summer, plants go dormant
till the next spring
.
Like members of the genus Chionodoxa
, the bases of the stamen
s are flattened and closely clustered in the middle of the flower. In the related genus Scilla
, the stamens are not flattened or clustered together.
. Additional taxa
have been described, but these are now regarded as varieties:
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 two species of bulb
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...
ous 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
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
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. It is native to 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...
and the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
.
This genus is named in honor of the Russian botanist Apollo Mussin-Pushkin
Apollo Mussin-Pushkin
Count Apollos Apollosovich Mussin-Pushkin was a Russian chemist and plant collector. He led a botanical expedition to the Caucasus in 1802....
. It was once included 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...
.
Leaves are green and strap-like, growing in twos.
Flowers are borne in early spring in 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...
s to 25 cm (6 in) high.
Seeds are borne in three-parted capsules
Capsule (fruit)
In botany a capsule is a type of simple, dry fruit produced by many species of flowering plants. A capsule is a structure composed of two or more carpels that in most cases is dehiscent, i.e. at maturity, it splits apart to release the seeds within. A few capsules are indehiscent, for example...
. After seed ripens in early summer, plants go dormant
Dormancy
Dormancy is a period in an organism's life cycle when growth, development, and physical activity are temporarily stopped. This minimizes metabolic activity and therefore helps an organism to conserve energy. Dormancy tends to be closely associated with environmental conditions...
till the next 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...
.
Like members of the genus Chionodoxa
Chionodoxa
Chionodoxa ' is a small genus of bulbous perennials in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae. The genus is endemic to the eastern Mediterranean region, specifically Crete, Cyprus and Turkey. The blue, white or pink flowers appear early in the year making them valuable garden ornamentals...
, the bases of the stamen
Stamen
The stamen is the pollen producing reproductive organ of a flower...
s are flattened and closely clustered in the middle of the flower. In the related genus Scilla
Scilla
Scilla is a genus of about 50 bulb-forming perennial herbs in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae, native to woodlands, subalpine meadows, and seashores throughout Europe and Asia...
, the stamens are not flattened or clustered together.
Species
There are two speciesSpecies
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
. Additional taxa
Taxon
|thumb|270px|[[African elephants]] form a widely-accepted taxon, the [[genus]] LoxodontaA taxon is a group of organisms, which a taxonomist adjudges to be a unit. Usually a taxon is given a name and a rank, although neither is a requirement...
have been described, but these are now regarded as varieties:
- Puschkinia peshmenii Rix & Mathew
- Puschkinia scilloides Adams (Striped Squill)
- Puschkinia scilloides var. hyacinthoides Baker
- Puschkinia scilloides var. libanotica Zucc.
- Puschkinia scilloides var. scilloides