"Schoenocaulon" is a genus of around 25 species. The precise number is unclear; two species were only discovered in 2008, and many occur only in remote regions of Mexico, where their montane forest habitat is under threat. The centre of diversity is in Mexico. They are also found in Central America, with a few species extending into South America, and in the United States, along the eastern part of the border with Mexico and in Florida. They grow from a bulb with a fibrous coat and have a long narrow spike-like inflorescence made up of very small flowers with long protruding stamens.