Oziroe


Oziroe is a genus of bulbous South American plants in the squill subfamily within the asparagus family. Within the Scilloideae, it is the sole member of the tribe Oziroëeae and the only genus in the subfamily to be found in the New World.

Description

Species of Oziroe grow from bulbs, which have contractile roots as well as normal ones. Each bulb produces only a few leaves, which are thick and grooved. The flowering stem appears at the same time as the leaves. It has bracts along its length, with generally one or two flowers on straight stalks appearing from the angle between each bract and the scape. The flowers have six whitish tepals about long which are joined for a short length at the base. Fertilized flowers produce black pear-shaped seeds up to long.

Species

, the World [Checklist of Selected Plant Families] recognized five species:
  1. Oziroe acaulis Speta – Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina
  2. Oziroe argentinensis Speta – Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina
  3. Oziroe arida Speta – Chile; common name: "lagrimas de la Virgen"
  4. Oziroe biflora Speta – Chile, Peru, Bolivia
  5. Oziroe pomensis Ravenna – Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina