''Zephyranthes'' subg. ''Habranthus'' is a subgenus within the genus ''Zephyranthes'' in the family Amaryllidaceae. It was a formerly recognized as a separate

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 tender

herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition of ...

flowering

bulbs In botany, a bulb is a short underground stem with fleshy leaves or leaf basesBell, A.D. 1997. ''Plant form: an illustrated guide to flowering plant morphology''. Oxford University Press, Oxford, U.K. that function as food storage organs during ...

in the subfamily Amaryllidoideae of the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Amaryllidaceae. It is now included within a more broadly

circumscribed In geometry, a circumscribed circle for a set of points is a circle passing through each of them. Such a circle is said to ''circumscribe'' the points or a polygon formed from them; such a polygon is said to be ''inscribed'' in the circle. * Circum ...

genus ''

Zephyranthes ''Zephyranthes'' is a genus of temperate and tropical bulbous plants in the Amaryllidaceae, Amaryllis family, subfamily Amaryllidoideae, native to the Americas and widely cultivated as ornamentals. Following the expansion of the genus in ...

''. The genus was first identified by pioneering bulb enthusiast William Herbert in 1824.

Description

Vegetative characteristics

''Zephyranthes'' subg. ''Habranthus'' are bulbous, 10–30 cm tall plants with oblong to globose bulbs and annual, linear to filiform, 15–30 cm long, and 3–10 mm wide leaves.

Generative characteristics

The 1–4-flowered inflorescence bears pedicellate, zygomorphic flowers.

Taxonomy

It was first published as ''Habranthus'' by William Herbert in 1824Curtis, William, Hooker, Joseph Dalton, Hooker, William Jackson, Prain, D., Stapf, O., Bentham-Moxon Trust., Bentham-Moxon Trust., Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew., Royal Horticultural Society (Great Britain), Stanley Smith Horticultural Trust, & Stanley Smith Horticultural Trust. (1801). Curtis’s botanical magazine (Vol. 51). Academic Press

tc. TC, T.C., Tc, Tc, tc, tC, or .tc may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * Theodore "T.C." Calvin, a character on the TV series '' Magnum, P.I.'' and its reboot * Tom Caron, American television host for New England Sports Netw ...

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/488148''Habranthus'' Herb. (n.d.). International Plant Names Index. Retrieved February 27, 2025, from https://www.ipni.org/n/1481-1 with ''Habranthus gracilifolius'' as the type species.Missouri Botanical Garden. (n.d.-w). ''Habranthus'' Herb. Tropicos. Retrieved February 27, 2025, from https://www.tropicos.org/name/40019693 ''Habranthus'' was formerly regarded separate from ''

''; distinctive features included holding its flowers at an angle rather than upright, and possessing unequal

stamen The stamen (: stamina or stamens) is a part consisting of the male reproductive organs of a flower. Collectively, the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filament ...

s. It was merged into the genus ''Zephyranthes'' as ''Zephyranthes'' subg. ''Habranthus'' published by

Nicolás García Berguecio Nicolas or Nicolás may refer to: People Given name * Nicolas (given name) Mononym * Nicolas (footballer, born 1999), Brazilian footballer * Nicolas (footballer, born 2000), Brazilian footballer Surname Nicolas * Dafydd Nicolas (c.1705–1774), ...

in 2019.Missouri Botanical Garden. (n.d.-an). ''Zephyranthes'' subg. ''Habranthus'' (Herb.) Nic. García. Tropicos. Retrieved February 27, 2025, from https://www.tropicos.org/name/100496090''Zephyranthes'' subgen. ''Habranthus'' (Herb.) Nic.García. (n.d.). International Plant Names Index. Retrieved February 27, 2025, from https://www.ipni.org/n/77203260-1 At one stage, ''Habranthus'' was considered a subgenus of the closely related ''

Hippeastrum ''Hippeastrum'' () is a genus of 116 species, and over 600 Hybrid (biology), hybrids and cultivars, of perennial plant, perennial, herbaceous plant, herbaceous and bulbous plants, native to tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas, ...

''. It was later treated as a full genus in the tribe

Hippeastreae Hippeastreae is a tribe of plants belonging to the subfamily Amaryllidoideae of the Amaryllis family (Amaryllidaceae). Species in this tribe are distributed in South America. Flowers are large and showy, zygomorphic, with the stamens in varying ...

. However,

molecular phylogenetic Molecular phylogenetics () is the branch of phylogeny that analyzes genetic, hereditary molecular differences, predominantly in DNA sequences, to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships. From these analyses, it is possible to ...

studies from 2000 onwards showed that although Hippeastreae was

monophyletic In biological cladistics for the classification of organisms, monophyly is the condition of a taxonomic grouping being a clade – that is, a grouping of organisms which meets these criteria: # the grouping contains its own most recent co ...

, many of the genera placed in the tribe were not; in particular, ''Habranthus'', ''Zephyranthes'' and ''Sprekelia'' formed a complex in which traditionally placed species were intermingled. Accordingly, in 2019, a broad

circumscription Circumscription may refer to: * Circumscribed circle * Circumscription (logic) *Circumscription (taxonomy) * Circumscription theory, a theory about the origins of the political state in the history of human evolution proposed by the American anthr ...

of ''Zephyranthes'' was proposed, including the former genus ''Habranthus''. This proposal has been accepted by

Plants of the World Online Plants of the World Online (POWO) is an online taxonomic database published by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. History Following the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew launched Plants of the World Online i ...

, among other taxonomic databases.

Cultivation

In the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, species formerly placed in ''Habranthus'', like other rain lilies, are regarded as "heirloom plants", although not widely used in mainstream landscapes, perhaps because their bloom time, dependent on rain, is erratic. Nevertheless, the bulbs are rugged and easy to grow in

USDA Hardiness Zones A hardiness zone is a geographic area defined as having a certain average annual minimum temperature, a factor relevant to the survival of many plants. In some systems other statistics are included in the calculations. The original and most widely ...

8-10 and are recognized among bulb specialists as possessing distinct landscape value in appropriate areas of the world. In colder regions they may be grown in sheltered sites, or in pots kept frost-free in winter., p. 101 The most commonly grown species are the pink-flowered '' Zephyranthes robusta'' (formerly ''Habranthus robustus'') and the yellow-flowered '' Zephyranthes tubispatha'' (formerly ''Habranthus tubispathus''). File:Habranthus robustus (1).jpg, '' Zephyranthes robusta'' (syn. ''H. robustus'') File:H tubispathus 07.jpg, '' Zephyranthes tubispatha'' (syn. ''H. tubispathus''),

Denton, Texas Denton is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Denton County, Texas, Denton County. With a population of 139,869 as of 2020, it is the List of cities in Texas by population, 20th-most populous city in Texas, the List of Un ...

References

* Howard, Thad M. ''Bulbs for Warm Climates''. Austin, TX: University of Texas Press, 2001, pp 77–82.

External links

International Bulb Society's gallery of photographs

Pacific Bulb Society's gallery of photographs {{Taxonbar, from=Q93964831, from2=Q142483 Zephyranthes, * Amaryllidoideae Plant subgenera