Prospero depressum
Prospero depressum is a flowering plant of the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae endemic to Crete, Greece. It is a diploid species in the Prospero autumnale cryptic species complex. This autumn-flowering plant features nearly white blooms on short stems that emerge after its grass-like leaves appear. It was first collected in 1997 from the sandy eastern shore of lake Omalos at an elevation of about 1050 metres, and was formally recognized as a distinct species in 2000.
Description
Prospero depressum is a bulbous perennial that develops from a nearly spherical to underground bulb measuring about 3.5–4 cm in length and 1.7–2 cm in width; the interior is white and it is wrapped in a brown papery. From this bulb arise thick, branched roots, and in autumn the plant produces 10–15 narrow, grass-like leaves up to 10 cm long and 3–5 mm wide before flowering. During the flowering season it sends up several upright, leafless stems 4–8 cm tall and 0.8–1.2 mm thick, each bearing 5–18 flowers on short stalks that are 1.5–3 mm long, extending to about 7 mm when in fruit.Each flower bears six pale, almost white segments about 5.5 mm long and 2 mm wide, each with a greenish-brown ridge on the underside. The six have lance-shaped filaments about 3.6 mm long and 0.9 mm wide at the base, which are white at their base and faintly rose-coloured towards the tip. The ovoid is white, around 2.4 mm long and 1.4 mm wdie, topped by a approximately 2 mm long. After pollination, a spherical capsule roughly 3 mm in diameter forms, containing black seeds about 2.8 mm long and 1.5 mm wide. Chromosome studies show a diploid number of 2n=14.