Alrawia

Alrawia is a genus of bulbous flowering plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae (also treated as the family Hyacinthaceae).[2] It is native to north-eastern Iraq and Iran.[1]

Alrawia
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Asparagaceae
Subfamily: Scilloideae
Genus: Alrawia
(Wendelbo) Perss. & Wendelbo[1]

Description

Species of Alrawia grow from bulbs covered with a tunic that is grayish outside and often violet inside. They produce a single flowering stem (scape); the inflorescence consists of a raceme. Individual flowers are borne on a short stalk (pedicel) which is turned downwards when the flowers first appear.[3] The tepals are violet with whitish lobe tips and are joined at the base for up to half their length.[4] The pedicels lengthen and turn upwards after flowers are fertilized; the black seeds are globular or ovate.[3]

Species

As of March 2013, the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families recognized two species:[5]

  • Alrawia bellii (Baker) Perss. & Wendelbo
Flowers up to 1 cm (0.4 in) long; tube one quarter the length of the whole flower; western Iran.[4]
  • Alrawia nutans (Wendelbo) Perss. & Wendelbo
Flowers slightly longer, up to 1.3 cm (0.5 in) long; tube one half the length of the whole flower; north-east Iraq.[4]

Cultivation

Brian Mathew describes the species as "enthusiasts' plants", being "not very showy". They are said to be easy to cultivate in a bulb frame or alpine house but not to increase readily. As they occur naturally in regions with hot dry summers, the bulbs need to be dried out when dormant.[4]

References
  1. "Alrawia", World Checklist of Selected Plant Families, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, retrieved 2013-03-27
  2. Stevens, P.F., "Asparagales: Scilloideae", Angiosperm Phylogeny Website, retrieved 2013-03-27
  3. "Alrawia (Wendelbo) Perss. & Wendelbo", eMonocot, archived from the original on 2013-04-19, retrieved 2013-03-27
  4. Mathew, Brian (1987), The Smaller Bulbs, London: B.T. Batsford, ISBN 978-0-7134-4922-8, pp. 4–5
  5. Search for "Alrawia", World Checklist of Selected Plant Families, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, retrieved 2013-03-27
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