In honour of Ryk Tulbagh (d. 1771) Governor of the Cape of Good Hope.
Perennial bulbous or rhizomatous herbs with fibrous roots. Leaves perennial, basal, ligulate, linear, strap-like, sometimes onion-scented. Flowers star-shaped with urn-shaped floral tubes, radially symmetrical, stalked. Inflorescence a terminal, simple, many-flowered, loose umbel. Tepals 3+3, fused with a fleshy corona at the tube mouth. Stamens 3+3 in two whorls inside the tube. Fruit a dehiscent capsule. Seeds triangular, black.
Seven species are used horticulturally, three of these being grown in Australia for the neat habit and formal flower clusters.
Ligulate leaves and flowers with fused tepals and a fleshy corona.
22 species from tropical and southern Africa.
Burbidge (1978), Benham (1993).
Source: (2005). Alliaceae. In: . Horticultural Flora of South-eastern Australia. Volume 5. Flowering plants. Monocotyledons. The identification of garden and cultivated plants. University of New South Wales Press.