BELLEVALIA DUBIA subsp. BOISSIERI

Family and Genus:- See- HYACINTHACEAE

Common Names:- None

Homotypic Synonyms:- Bellevalia boissieri, Bellevalia dubia var. boissieri.

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

Dubia (L) Uncertain, doubtful.

Boissieri (L) For Pierre Edmond Boissier (1831-97) of Geneva (author

of Flora Orientalis).

General description:- Perennial bulbous plant.

Scapes:-

1) Up to 40 cm.

Leaves:-

1) 2-5, procumbent, longer than the scape, lingulate.

Flower:-

1) Racemes, cylindrical, 10- to 30-flowered.

2) Pedicels, 5-8 mm. erecto-patent or horizontal at fruiting.

3) Perianth, 5·5-5.8 mm, campanulate, bluish-violet or dark green at anthesis,

later brownish.

4) Lobes, whitish, with green veins, c. ½ as long as the tube, ovate.

Fruit:-

1) Capsule, triquetrous, with 3 prominent ribs.

Key features:-

1) Racemes, cylindrical or oblong at anthesis.

2) Leaves, procumbent.

3) Perianth, 5·5-5.8 mm, bluish-violet or dark green at anthesis, the lobes whitish,

with green veins.

Click here for a glossary of terms used.

Habitat:- Olive groves, fallow fields, seasonally damp places in garigue and

macchie. 0-700(-1100) m. sometimes grerarious.

Distribution:- Greece, Turkey and Eastern Mediterranean coasts. On Crete

formerly only from the Korikos peninsula, west Crete, but another location was

reported by Christopher Cheiladakis near Vlichada central Crete, in 2021. Very rare.

Flowering time:- Mar-May.

Photos by:- Sue Turvey