Hypoxis aurea Lour. (Hypoxidaceae): a Rare Species from Jeju Island which is Rediscovered Seventy Years after its First Collection in Korea

We described and illustrated a rare species in Korea, Hypoxis aurea Lour. (Hypoxidaceae) which was rediscovered about 70 years after its first collection from Jeju island in Korea. The members of the family Hypoxidaceae R. Br. are distinguished from the plants of Amaryllidaceae J. St-Hill. by having grass-like leaves, an invisible stem which is modified into a corm or a rhizome, trimerous, and radially symmetric flowers with an inferior ovary developing into a capsule on scapes. Hypoxis aurea Lour. is readily distinguishable from Curculigo orchinoides Gsertn. in Japan by beakless ovary and capsular fruit. The number of somatic chromosome is 2n=54.