''Gagea'' is a large

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

of spring

flower Flowers, also known as blooms and blossoms, are the reproductive structures of flowering plants ( angiosperms). Typically, they are structured in four circular levels, called whorls, around the end of a stalk. These whorls include: calyx, m ...

s in the lily family. It is found primarily in

Eurasia Eurasia ( , ) is a continental area on Earth, comprising all of Europe and Asia. According to some geographers, Physical geography, physiographically, Eurasia is a single supercontinent. The concept of Europe and Asia as distinct continents d ...

with a few species extending into

North Africa North Africa (sometimes Northern Africa) is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region. However, it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of t ...

and one species (''

Gagea serotina ''Gagea serotina'', synonym ''Lloydia serotina'', is an Arctic–alpine flowering plant of the lily family. It is widespread across the mountainous parts of western North America, from Alaska to New Mexico, and in Europe is found in the Alps, t ...

'') in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

.Flora of China, Vol. 24 Page 121 洼瓣花属 wa ban hua shu ''Lloydia'' Reichenbach, Fl. Germ. Excurs. 102. 1830.
/ref> The genus is named after the English naturalist Sir Thomas Gage (1781–1820). They were originally described as species of ''

Ornithogalum ''Ornithogalum'' is a genus of perennial plants mostly native to southern Europe and southern Africa belonging to the family Asparagaceae. Some species are native to other areas such as the Caucasus. Some species are classified as noxious invas ...

'', which, together with the usual yellow colour of the flowers, explains the English name yellow star-of-Bethlehem for the common European species, ''

Gagea lutea ''Gagea lutea'', known as the yellow star-of-Bethlehem, is a Eurasian flowering plant species in the family Liliaceae. It is widespread in central Europe with scattered populations in Great Britain, Spain, and Norway to Siberia and Japan. ''Gage ...

''. p. 25.

Species

, the

World Checklist of Selected Plant Families The World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (usually abbreviated to WCSP) was an "international collaborative programme that provides the latest peer reviewed and published opinions on the accepted scientific names and synonyms of selected p ...

recognizes over 200 species, including those previously assigned to ''Lloydia''.

References

Bibliography

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External links

Pacific Bulb Society
photos of several species
Treknature, Photos of ''Gagea'' sp., a genus of the family Liliaceae
photos of several species {{Authority control Liliaceae genera