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Clump-forming perennials; bulb tunicate. Leaves all basal, linear to lorate. Scapes hollow. Flowers solitary to several, white, yellow, or rarely green, erect or drooping, umbellate; perianth-lobes ascending, reflexed or spreading, connate below; tube narrow-cylindric to trumpet-shaped with tubular trumpet-like or cup-shaped corona at throat, sometimes reduced to a rim; spathe 1-valved. Stamens equal or unequal, attached to perianth-tube at two levels, included or exserted from tube but not extending beyond corona. Capsule ovoid to globular with 3 rounded angles, loculicidal. Seeds many, subglobose, angled, black. Spp. c. 60, of Europe and W. Asia. Adventive spp. 5.
Herbs with tunicated bulbs. Roots fibrous. Leaves basal, linear, flat to cylindrical, sheathing at base, annual. Inflorescence a scapose solitary flower or umbellate; spathe scarious. Flowers bisexual, regular, pedicellate, erect or nodding. Perianth segments 6, fused forming a cylindrical or trumpet-shaped tube; corona present. Stamens 6, inserted on perianth tube at 2 levels; anthers dehiscing by slits, introrse. Ovary inferior, trilocular; ovules many per locule; placentation axile; style more or less filiform; stigma capitate or lobed. Fruit a capsule. Seeds numerous, angled, black.
Herbs perennial, bulbiferous. Bulbs with a membranous tunic. Leaves basal, linear or terete. Flowering stem solid. Inflorescence a several-flowered umbel or sometimes a solitary flower; involucres membranous, basally tubular. Flowers erect or pendulous. Perianth tube cylindric or funnelform, short; lobes 6, erect or recurved, subequal; corona narrowly tubular, corollalike or shallowly cupular. Stamens inserted in perianth tube; anther basifixed. Ovary with many ovules. Style filiform; stigma 3-lobed, small. Fruit a loculicidal capsule. Seeds subglobose.
Perianth slenderly tubular at base, with broad, widely spreading segments; corona saucer-shaped, of the same or different color, entire to erose or lobed; stamens inserted on the perianth-tube within the corona; ovary inferior, with numerous ovules in each of the 3 locules; perennial scapose herbs from coated bulbs, with narrow, usually erect, basal lvs and erect scapes bearing 1–few conspicuous fls. 60, Europe, Medit., w. Asia. Many of the plants in cult. reflect hybridization among diverse spp.
