The series was first classified by Ludwig Diels in 'Die Natürlichen Pflanzenfamilien' (Edited by H. G. A. Engler and K. Prantl) in 1930.

It was further expanded by George Hill Mathewson Lawrence in Gentes Herb (written in Dutch) in 1953.

[1] Most of the species in this series come from Central Asia, and are found in semi-desert conditions,[2] Such as dry steppes and grasslands.

[3] They prefer a northern continental climate in a dry prairie similar to Nebraska or North or South Dakota in the US.

In the UK, they need to be grown in Bulb frames, with water during the summer but dry during the winter.