Hairy star of Bethlehem

Description

Gagea villosa, common name hairy star of Bethlehem, is a Eurasian and North African plant species in the lily family. Gagea villosa is found in Europe, North Africa and Western Asia. Its range extends from Spain and Morocco east to Russia and Iran, and as far north as Sweden. It was first described to science by Bieberstein in 1808. 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.