Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 26, 2026

Alrawia

Alrawia is a genus of bulbous flowering plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae. It is native to north-eastern Iraq and Iran.

Last revised
Jul 26, 2026
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≈ 1 min
Length
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Citations
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Wikipedia ↗
Alrawia
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Embryophytes
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Spermatophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Asparagaceae
Subfamily: Scilloideae
Genus: Alrawia
(Wendelbo) Perss. & Wendelbo1

Alrawia is a genus of bulbous flowering plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae (also treated as the family Hyacinthaceae).2 It is native to north-eastern Iraq and Iran.1

Description

Species of Alrawia grow from bulbs covered with a tunic that is grayish outside and often violet inside. They produce a single flowering stem (scape); the inflorescence consists of a raceme. Individual flowers are borne on a short stalk (pedicel) which is turned downwards when the flowers first appear.3 The tepals are violet with whitish lobe tips and are joined at the base for up to half their length.4 The pedicels lengthen and turn upwards after flowers are fertilized; the black seeds are globular or ovate.3

Species

As of March 2013, the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families recognized two species:5

  • Alrawia bellii (Baker) Perss. & Wendelbo
Flowers up to 1 cm (0.4 in) long; tube one quarter the length of the whole flower; western Iran.4
  • Alrawia nutans (Wendelbo) Perss. & Wendelbo
Flowers slightly longer, up to 1.3 cm (0.5 in) long; tube one half the length of the whole flower; north-east Iraq.4

Cultivation

Brian Mathew describes the species as "enthusiasts' plants", being "not very showy". They are said to be easy to cultivate in a bulb frame or alpine house but not to increase readily. As they occur naturally in regions with hot dry summers, the bulbs need to be dried out when dormant.4

References

References

  1. "Alrawia", World Checklist of Selected Plant Families, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, retrieved 2013-03-27
  2. Stevens, P.F., "Asparagales: Scilloideae", Angiosperm Phylogeny Website, retrieved 2013-03-27
  3. "Alrawia (Wendelbo) Perss. & Wendelbo", eMonocot, retrieved 2013-03-27{{citation}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  4. Mathew, Brian (1987), The Smaller Bulbs, London: B.T. Batsford, ISBN 978-0-7134-4922-8, pp. 4–5
  5. Search for "Alrawia", World Checklist of Selected Plant Families, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, retrieved 2013-03-27