Bessera

Bessera
Bessera elegans
1839 illustration[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Asparagaceae
Subfamily: Brodiaeoideae
Genus: Bessera
Schult.f. 1829, conserved name not Schult. 1809 (Boraginaceae) nor Spreng. 1815 (Putranjivaceae) nor Vell. 1825 (Nyctaginaceae)[2]
Synonyms[3]
  • Pharium Herb.
  • Behria Greene

Bessera is a genus of Mexican plants in the cluster lily subfamily within the asparagus family.[4][5] It is a small genus of 3 known species of mostly herbaceous flowering plants with corms.[3] They have flowers with petals and petaloid sepals (tepals) with compound pistils.

The genus is named for Austrian and Russian botanist Wilibald Swibert Joseph Gottlieb von Besser (1784–1842).

Bessera elegans, called coral drops, is cultivated and is a half-hardy Mexican herbaceous plant growing from corms with drooping terminal umbels of showy red-and-white colored flowers.

Diversity

species[3]
  1. Bessera elegans Schult.f. - central to southern Mexico
  2. Bessera tenuiflora (Greene) J.F.Macbr. - Baja California Sur including islands in the Gulf of California (Mar de Cortés)
  3. Bessera tuitensis R.Delgad. - Jalisco


formerly included[3][2]

Several names have been coined using the name Bessera but referring to species now regarded as better suited to other genera (Androstephium Drypetes Flueggea Guapira Pulmonaria). We provide links to help you find appropriate information.


References

  1. Edwards's Botanical Register; Consisting of Coloured Figures of Exotic Plants Cultivated in British Gardens; with their History and Mode of Treatment. London 25: t. 34 (1839). sulivanica
  2. 2.0 2.1 Tropicos, search for Bessera
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
  4. Stevens, P.F., Angiosperm Phylogeny Website: Asparagales: Brodiaeoideae
  5. Govaerts, R. (1996). World Checklist of Seed Plants 2(1, 2): 1-492. Continental Publishing, Deurne.