Hannonia is a genus of plants in the Amaryllis family.[2] It contains only one known species, Hannonia hesperidum, endemictoMorocco and confined to Western Morocco, Promontory of Hercules.[3][4][5] The specific epithet comes from Greek έσπερος, of evening, as the flowers open in the late afternoon.
The bulbs are 20-25x20 mm., with brown papery tunics; they have a long neck about 4 cm long. The species is hysteranthous. Scape about 10 cm high, 2-edged, a little twisted, hollow (according to;[6] solid according to [7]), terete; umbel two-flowered. Outermost leaf reduced to a scarious sheath with a very short blade, inner leaves 2 or 3, linear, fleshy, glaucous, flat, just 2 mm wide and 20 cm long. Spathebracts two, free, but appressed to the scape below their middle. The pedicel is 1 cm, green; the perianth has a short green tube, 5 mm, much shorter than the tepal segments, spreading in six white tepals, 15 mm long and 2.5 mm wide, linear-lanceolate, a bit broadened below the apex, gradually attenuate (narrowing) towards the base, subequal (nearly equal), keeled green on the abaxial surface, keel formed by 3 closely spaced veins. The stamens are biseriate, free, inserted at the throat, 3 equaling the tepals, 3 shorter; filaments filiform; anthersdorsifixed (attached to the filaments at their middle), oblong, versatile, yellow; style white, filiform, and terete. Stigmacaptitate, obscurely 3-lobed. Ovary with 3 locules; ovules 5-6 per locule.[8][6]
Flowering period: late summer. Each flower lasts just one day. No scent. Grows in rock-fissures, a very sandy-gritty soil is needed in cultivation. No water in summer and very little in winter. In areas which experience frost a frost-free bulb frame or a greenhouse have to be used. Full sun.
This genus was placed in tribe GalantheaebyTraub[6] on the basis of morphology only; molecular investigations are inconclusive.[9]
The name Hannonia hesperidum var. legionariorum was coined in 1935[10] for a Moroccan plant initially thought to be a variety of Hannonia hesperidum. The name is, however, now considered a synonym of Vagaria ollivieri in the genus Vagaria.[3][11][12]
^Emberger, Marie Louis 1935. Bulletin de la Société des Sciences Naturelles du Maroc 15: 175
^Maire, René Charles Joseph Ernest 1936. Bulletin de la Société d'Histoire Naturelle de l'Afrique du Nord 27: 78
^Dobignard, D. & Chatelain, C. (2010). Index synonymique de la flore d'Afrique du nord 1: 1-455. Éditions des conservatoire et jardin botaniques, Genève
