Speirantha

Speirantha is a genus of one known species of flowering plants found in south-east China.^[1] In the APG III classification system, it is placed in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Nolinoideae (formerly the family Ruscaceae).^[2]

Speirantha
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Monocots
Order:	Asparagales
Family:	Asparagaceae
Subfamily:	Nolinoideae
Genus:	Speirantha Baker[1]
Species:	S. gardenii
Binomial name
Speirantha gardenii (Hook.) Baill.
Synonyms[1]
Speirantha convallarioides Baker (type species) Albuca gardenii Hook.

The sole species is Speirantha gardenii, endemic to China (provinces of Anhui, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, and Zhejiang).^[3]

Etymology

Speirantha is derived from Greek and means 'twisted flower' (spiral + anther).^[4]

Taxonomy

The species now called Speirantha gardenii was first described by William Jackson Hooker in 1855 as Albuca gardenii. Separately, in 1875, John Gilbert Baker described Speirantha convallarioides, based on a different type, placing it in his new genus Speirantha.^[5] In 1894, Louis Antoine François Baillon synonymized Albuca gardenii and Speirantha convallarioides.^[6] The older epithet gardenii has priority, so the correct name is Speirantha gardenii.^[5] The type of the genus Speirantha remains the type of Speirantha convallarioides.