Disporum

Disporum (commonly known as fairy bells) is a genus of about 20 species of perennial flowering plants, found in Asia from northern India to Japan, south to Indonesia and north into the Russian Far East.[1][2]

Disporum pullum, from China, was first named by Salisbury in 1812,[a] but subsequent authors places it in other genera such as Streptopus and Uvularia, till Don published the first valid description in 1825.[3]

In the APG III classification system, it is placed in the family Colchicaceae.[1] The genus previously included five species in North America, but these have been separated as the genus Prosartes D.Don and moved to the family Liliaceae in accordance to differences in karyology and chemistry as well as results from molecular systematic investigations.[4] The type species is Disporum pullum Salisb., which is a synonym of Disporum cantoniense.

Species[1]
Disporum acuminatissimum W.L.Sha – Guangxi
Disporum acuminatum C.H.Wright – Myanmar
Disporum bodinieri (H.Lév. & Vaniot) F.T.Wang & Tang – Guizhou, Hunan, Sichuan, Tibet, Yunnan
Disporum calcaratum D.Don – Yunnan, Himalayas, N Indochina
Disporum cantoniense (Lour.) Merr. – S China, S + SE Asia
Disporum hainanense Merr. – Guangdong, Hainan
Disporum jinfoshanense X.Z.Li, D.M.Zhang & D.Y.Hong – Chongqing
Disporum kawakamii Hayata – Taiwan
Disporum leucanthum H.Hara – S China, E Himalayas
Disporum longistylum (Chinese fairy bells) (H.Lév. & Vaniot) H.Hara – C + SW China