Gagea Salisb.

20. Gagea Salisb. View in CoL 1

Bulbous perennials. Stems erect, solitary, unbranched, leafy. Flowers solitary or in a few-flowered umbel or raceme. Perianth cylindrical-campanulate to rotate, of 6 free, usually yellow segments. Stamens 6, inserted at the base of the perianth-segments, included; anthers basifixed. Fruit a loculicidal capsule with many seeds.

Basal leaves arise directly from the bulb; cauline leaves are intended to include those subtending the first branch of the inflorescence; leaves above the first branch are considered as bracts. It is important to sample several specimens in assessing the character-state of leaves. The biseriate perianth-segments frequently differ somewhat in size; descriptions refer to all six unless otherwise stated; where no colour is mentioned they are yellow inside and greenish-yellow outside. Bulbils are occasionally present in the leaf-axils of most taxa but are stated as present only for those in which they are a relatively constant feature.

Literature: A. Terracciano, Revisione monografica delle Specie di Gagea della Flora spagnola. Palermo. 1905. W. Greuter, Israel Jour. Bot. 19: 155-160 (1970).

1 Bulbs (2—)3, one with a tunic 1. pratensis

1 Bulb 1, or 2 in a common tunic

2 Bulb 1

3 Basal leaves 2 or more

4 Perianth-segments yellow; bulbils present 8. bulbifera

4 Perianth-segments white, with purple stripes; bulbils absent

5 Anthers obtuse; flowers usually 3-5 9. graeca

5 Anthers acute; flowers usually solitary 10. trinervia

3 Basal leaf solitary

6 Seeds compressed; perianth-segments long-acuminate; bulb usually with a fibrous collar (5-7). reticulata group

6 Seeds subglobose; perianth-segments ±obtuse; bulb without a fibrous collar

7 Stem usually 3-7 cm; basal leaf 1-5-3 mm wide, linear; perianth-segments c. 13 mm 2. pusilla

7 Stem usually 10-30 cm; basal leaf 7-15 mm wide, linearlanceolate; perianth-segments 15-18 mm 3. lutea

2Bulbs 2 in a common tunic

8 Basal leaf solitary; perianth-segments acuminate 4. minima

8 Basal leaves usually 2

9 Cauline leaf 1, distinct from the bracts 11. spathacea

9 Cauline leaves 2, larger than but similar to the bracts

10 Lower cauline leaves opposite

11 Stems glabrous above 12. fistolosa

11 Stems ± hairy above (13-15). arvensis group

10 Lower cauline leaves alternate, rarely subopposite or solitary

12 Pedicels glabrous (16—20). foliosa group

12 Pedicels hairy

13 Bulb usually with numerous recurved fibrous roots;

plant usually 8-20 cm (16-20). foliosa group

13 Bulb with few or no recurved fibrous roots; plant usually 2-8 cm (21-23). bohemica group