The genus Ledebouria Roth is in the family Hyacinthaceae (Dahlgren et al 1985). The genus is distributed mainly throughout Africa, extending into Arabia and reaching as far as India where the type species, Ledebouria hyacinthina Roth occurs. The current centre of diversity is given as the Limpopo, Mpumalanga and KwaZulu Natal provinces of South Africa (Venter 2009).

In 1821, Roth described the genus Ledebouria with L. hyacinthina as the type species, later, Ledebouria was transferred to Scilla Baker, to become section Ledebouria (Baker 1870). Jessop (1970), while revising various genera of South African bulbs, reinstated the genus Ledebouria. Manning et al (2004), based on a molecular phylogenetic analysis, sunk Drimiopsis Lindi. & Paxton, and Resnova Van der Merwe within Ledebouria. This treatment is not widely accepted—Lebatha et al (2006) refuted the findings and Resnova and Drimiopsis were reinstated as separate genera.

The number of species is undetermined, and much more material needs to be collected and analysed before some consensus can be reached.