Scapigerous bulbous, perennial herb. Bulb globose on ovoid, bulb leaves imbricate, of cataphylls and bases of foliage leaves of 3 vegetation periods, tunic brown. Scape one or more, terete. Raceme few to many flowered. Bracts small and membranous or lacking. Tepals 6, blue, nearly free to connate for 2/5. Stamens 6, filaments free from each other, epiphyllous at the base of the tepals, anthers dorsifixed, introrse. Pistil tricarpellary, syncarpous, trilocular, 1-4 ovules per locule. Style usually straight, stigma triquetrous or capitate. Capsule loculicidal. Seeds globose.
About 30 species; from France and N. Spain to Asia Minor and Caucasus to Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kashmir, India and Sri Lanka; represented in Pakistan by one species.
According to Speta, l.c. the genus Scilla is incompletely known; presently its affinity is also uncertain.