BELLEVALIA BREVIPEDICELLATA

Family and Genus:- See- HYACINTHACEAE

Common Names:- None

Homotypic Synonyms:- None

Meaning:- Bellevalia (L) For P. R. De Belleval (1558-1632) early systematist.

Brevipedicellata (L) With short pedicels (flower stalk).

General description:- Perennial bulbous plant.

Scapes:-

1) 6-17·5 cm.

Leaves:-

1) 2-3, about as long as the scape, linear-lanceolate, glabrous, green, usually

reddish at the base.

Flower:-

1) Inflorescences, 1-3, each pedunculate.

2) Raceme, 9 to 30-flowered, narrowly cylindric.

3) Petals, 6, white, dentate at the edges, pink with a green stripe.

4) Pedicels, 1-1·5 mm.

5) Bracts, more or less lanceolate, membranous, pinkish.

6) Perianth, becoming brown after fertilization.

7) Stamens, in the centre dark purple, with blue pollen.

Fruit:-

1) Capsule, triquetrous, with 3 prominent ribs.

Key features:-

1) Flowers, white.

2) Pedicels, 1-1·5 mm.

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Habitat:- In soil pockets with open dry shrubby vegetation on rugged slopes and

flats of hard limestone. 0-250 m.

Distribution:- Endemic to Crete, restricted to the south-western corner and Gavdos

island.

Flowering time:- Jan to early Mar.

Photos by:- Fotis Samaritakis

Status:-

Conservation status (for threatened species): Vulnerable (V) according to the Red

Data Book of Rare and Threatened Plants of Greece (1995)

Protection status (for threatened species): Greek Presidential Decree 67/1981