Gagea sect. Fistulosae (Pascher) Davlianidze

Zarrei, Mehdi, Wilkin, Paul, Ingrouille, Martin J. & Chase, And Mark W., 2011, A revised infrageneric classification for Gagea Salisb. (Tulipeae; Liliaceae): insights from DNA sequence and morphological data, Phytotaxa 15, pp. 44-56 : 50

Gagea sect. Fistulosae (Pascher) Davlianidze

Gagea fragifera (Vill.) Bayer & López (1989: 663) , G. glacialis Koch (1849: 228) , G. luteoides Stapf (1885: 80) and G. microfistulosa Levichev (2009: 39) are the only species of this section that were included in molecular analyses using plastid and nrITS sequences ( Peterson et al. 2008, Zarrei et al. 2009). They are classified as G. sect. Monophyllos by Pascher (1907). Although they collectively form a clade in the analyses of plastid sequences, they were intermixed with G. sect. Didymobulbos in analyses using nrITS sequences ( Peterson et al. 2008). In analyses of combined datasets of plastid and nrITS sequences, these species formed a subclade with low bootstrap support (BP 73, Figure 3 in Zarrei et al. 2009) within clade D. Peterson et al. (2008) indicated that, as well as some ontogenetic characters, the umbellate inflorescence plus terete seeds are common characters in the section. However, these characters are shared with several other sections such as G. sect. Didymobulbos.

Pollen characters do not support the distinctness of the section. The only species included in analyses conducted by Zarrei & Zarre (2005) had the reticulate pollen type shared with most members of G. sect. Platyspermum . Pedicel anatomy supports the placement of G. fragifera in a clade with G. villosa . The basal leaf anatomy of this species was similar to that of G. chomutovae within clade D (Figure 3 in Zarrei et al. 2009). In conclusion, G. sect. Fistulosae should be reduced to lower taxonomic rank within G. sect. Didymobulbos (including all members of clade D, Figure 3, Zarrei et al. 2009).