Gagea filiformis

Description

Gagea filiformis is an Asian species of plants in the lily family, native to Russia (Altay Krai), China (Xinjiang), Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Mongolia. Gagea filiformis is a bulb-forming perennial up to 10 cm tall. Flowers are yellow or yellow-green. Gagea is a large genus of spring flowers in the lily family. It is found primarily in Eurasia with a few species extending into North Africa and one species (Gagea serotina) in North America. The genus is named after the English naturalist Sir Thomas Gage (1791-1820). They were originally described as species of Ornithogalum, which, together with the usual yellow colour of the flowers, explains the English name yellow star-of-Bethlehem for the common European species, Gagea lutea.