{{Short description|Genus of flowering plants}} {{Automatic taxobox |taxon = Fessia |image = Berne botanic garden Scilla puschkinoides.jpg |image_caption = ''Fessia puschkinioides'' in cultivation at the Berne Botanical Gardens |authority = Speta<ref name=WCSP_306033/> }}

'''''Fessia''''' is a genus of bulbous flowering plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae (also treated as the family Hyacinthaceae).<ref name=APweb_Scilloideae>Stevens, P.F. (2001 onwards), "[http://www.mobot.org/mobot/research/apweb/orders/asparagalesweb.htm#Hyacinthaceae Asparagales: Scilloideae]", ''Angiosperm Phylogeny Website'', retrieved 2013-04-02</ref> It is distributed from Iran to Central Asia and Pakistan.<ref name=WCSP_306033>{{Citation |contribution=Fessia|title=World Checklist of Selected Plant Families |publisher=Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew |url=http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/namedetail.do?name_id=306033 |accessdate=2013-04-02}}</ref>

==Description==

Species of ''Fessia'' grow from bulbs, which are covered by a gray or black tunic, purple inside. Each bulb produces one or more flower stems (scapes) bearing whitish to blue or violet flowers. The stamens have pale blue anthers. The black seeds are globe or drop shaped.<ref name=eMon_306033>{{Citation |title=''Fessia'' Speta |url=http://zoo-bclark01.zoo.ox.ac.uk/taxon/urn:kew.org:wcs:taxon:304277 |accessdate=2013-04-02 |work=eMonocot |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://archive.today/20130419161627/http://zoo-bclark01.zoo.ox.ac.uk/taxon/urn:kew.org:wcs:taxon:304277 |archivedate=2013-04-19 }}</ref>

A number of species of ''Fessia'', often under their earlier names in the genus ''Scilla'', are grown by gardeners specializing in ornamental bulbous plants; they are hardy but some need a dry period in summer. ''F.&nbsp;puschkinioides'' (syn. ''Scilla puchkinioides'') is described as "an easy to grow hardy species".<ref name=Math87>{{Citation |last=Mathew |first=Brian |year=1987 |title=The Smaller Bulbs |publication-place=London |publisher=B.T. Batsford |isbn=978-0-7134-4922-8 }}, pp. 152–153, 156</ref>

==Systematics==

The genus ''Fessia'' was created by Franz Speta in 1998. All the species were previously included in a more broadly defined genus ''Scilla''.<ref name=WCSP_Fessia/> The genus is placed in the tribe Hyacintheae (or the subfamily Hyacinthoideae by those who use the family Hyacinthaceae).<ref name=PfosSpet99>{{Cite journal |last1=Pfosser |first1=Martin |last2=Speta |first2=Franz |year=1999 |title=Phylogenetics of Hyacinthaceae based on plastid DNA sequences |journal=Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden |volume=86 |issue=4 |pages=852–875 |jstor=2666172 |doi=10.2307/2666172 |url=http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/pdf3/010728900089037.pdf }}</ref>

===Species===

{{As of|2013|March}}, the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families recognized 11 species:<ref name="WCSP_Fessia">Search for "Fessia", {{Citation |title=World Checklist of Selected Plant Families |publisher=Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew |url=http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/ |accessdate=2013-04-02 }}</ref>

{{Div col}} *''Fessia bisotunensis'' <small>(Speta) Speta</small> *''Fessia furseorum'' <small>(Meikle) Speta</small> *''Fessia gorganica'' <small>(Speta) Speta</small> *''Fessia greilhuberi'' <small>(Speta) Speta</small> *''Fessia hohenackeri'' <small>(Fisch. & C.A.Mey.) Speta</small> *''Fessia khorassanica'' <small>(Meikle) Speta</small> *''Fessia parwanica'' <small>(Speta) Speta</small> *''Fessia purpurea'' <small>(Griff.) Speta</small> *''Fessia puschkinioides'' <small>(Regel) Speta</small> *''Fessia raewskiana'' <small>(Regel) Speta</small> *''Fessia vvedenskyi'' <small>(Pazij) Speta</small> {{Div col end}}

==References== {{Commons category|Fessia|''Fessia''}} {{Reflist}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q8961498}}

Category:Asparagaceae genera Category:Scilloideae