Kingdom Plantae Clade Monocots Family Asparagaceae Scientific name Puschkinia Rank Genus | Clade Angiosperms Order Asparagales Subfamily Scilloideae Higher classification Scilloideae | |
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Similar Striped squill, Chionodoxa, Scilla, Scilla siberica, Camas | ||
Puschkinia garden plants
Puschkinia is a genus of two known species of bulbous perennials in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae. It is native to the Caucasus and the Middle East.
Contents
This genus is named in honor of the Russian botanist Apollo Mussin-Pushkin. It was once included in the Liliaceae.
Leaves are green and strap-like, growing in twos.
Flowers are borne in early spring in racemes to 25 cm (6 in) high.
Seeds are borne in three-parted capsules. After seed ripens in early summer, plants go dormant till the next spring.
Like members of the genus Chionodoxa, the bases of the stamens are flattened and closely clustered in the middle of the flower. In the related genus Scilla, the stamens are not flattened or clustered together.
Species
As of March 2013, the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families accepted only two species:
Culture
In 1993, an illustration of Puschkinia scilloides was used as a postage stamp in Azerbaijan, with a series of other flowers, including Iris reticulata, Tulipa persica, Iris acutiloba, Iris elegantissima and Tulipa florenskyii.