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Gagea trinervia and G. graeca, both diploid (2n = 24), share several features that appear unusual in the genus: white flowers, relatively late flowering, and red bulb tunics. They are genetically rather close but can be distinguished with karyology and molecular markers (nrITS‐region). They were indeed thought to be conspecific by many authors, however, exhibit major ontogenetic, morphological and anatomical differences which indicates a strongly divergent evolution. Gagea trinervia differs from G. graeca in having bulbils with stolon‐like hypopodium, a regular sister bulbil at the immature stage, an unifacial, juvenile‐like basal leaf to adult stage, few cauline leaves, few flowers and a low level of sexual reproduction. These two species make up Gagea sect. Anthericoides, the most early‐branching clade of the genus, endemic to the Mediterranean. The closest species phylogenetically is Gagea serotina, that is referred to the separate section Lloydia (Salisb.) Peruzzi & al. comb. & stat. nov.

A new region of speciation for the genus Gagea (Liliaceae) was investigated (Bogda-