Liliaceae

Plant Sex: Flowers bisexual, rarely unisexual (dioecious).

Flowers: Actinomorphic,3-merous. Sepals and petals may be as tepals.

Inflorescence: Various types.

Fruits: Loculicidal and septicidal capsules and berries.

Habit: Perennial herbs from rhizomes, bulbs and corms. Some vines (Smilacaceae) and succulent herbs.

Examples:

Your book follows recent molecular phylogenetic work that has greatly reorganized the classification of Liliaceae s. lat. These plants are now placed in two orders, Liliales and Asparagales. The examples are placed under their currently recognized families. See Figs. 9.14 and 9.18 for relationships among these families.

Order Liliales

Liliaceae s. str.
Lilium

L. philadelphicum (Philadelphia lily). Flower.
L. michiganense. Flower.
L. sp. Face view of a cultivated variety.

Erythronium

E. americanum (yellow trout lily). Plant in its typical habitat. Flower L.S.
E. albidum (white trout lily). Habit of plants in flower. Flower L.S.

Tulipa

T. X hybrida (tulip). Tulips being cultivated at Missouri Botanical Gardens. Flower in L.S.

Colchiaceae (or Uvulariaceae)

Uvularia

U. grandiflora (bellwort). Leaves showing characteristic perfoliate bases.

Melanthiaceae (Trilliaceae)

Trillium

T. recurvatum (trillium, wake-robin). Habit of plant in flower. Flower. Flower L.S. Fruit.
T. gleasonii. Habit of plant in flower.
T. flexipes and T. grandiflorum ovary sections.

Veratrum

V. californicum (false hellebore). These plants have poisonous alkaloids. Unfurling leaves. Habit of plant in flower. Flowers.

Zigadenus

Z. elegans (camass). This plant also has poisonous alkaloids. Habit of plant in flower. Flowers.

Smilacaceae
Smilax

S. hispida (greenbriar). Habit of plant in flower.
S. lasioneuron (greenbriar). Habit of plant in flower. Staminate (left) and carpellate (right) inflorescences. Staminate and carpellate flowers.
S. aspera. Stem and leaf showing spines.

Order Asparagales

Asparagaceae
Asparagus

A. officinalis (asparagus). Habit of plant in fruit.
A. springeri. Flowering shoots.
A. sp. Close-up of flowers.

Alliaceae
Allium

A. cepa (onion). Field of onions in cultivation. Onion bulbs sectioned.
A. canadense. Flower. Fruiting plant with bulbils. Close-up of bulbils.
A. cernuum. Inflorescence. Flower L.S.
A. sp. Infructescence.

Nothoscordum

N. bivalve (false garlic). Habit of plant in flower.

Asphodelaceae
Aloe

A. spp. Habit of plants in flower (cultivated at botanical garden)
A. sp. Habit of plant in flower.
A. sp. Habit of plants in flower (S. Africa).
A. viridis. Flowers in L.S.

Haworthia

H. maxima (Haworthia). Habit of plants (S. Africa).

Amaryllidaceae

Galanthus

G. nivalis (snowdrops). Habit of plant emerging from snow. Flower. Flower L.S.

Hippeastrum

H. striatum (Barbados lily). Potted plant in flower. Another species in the PLB greenhouse.

Hymenocallis

H. declinata (spider lily). Habit of plant in flower.
H. palmeri. Habit of plant in flower.
H. rotatum. Habit of plant in flower.

Narcissus

N. pseudonarcissus (daffodil). Habit of plant in flower. Flower. Flower L.S. Fruit.
N. tazella. Flower L.S. Ovary X.S.

Agavaceae
Agave

A. americana (century plant). Habit of plants sending up inflorescence spikes.
A. bahamana. Flowers.
A. sisalana. Habit of sisal plant in vegetative condition in Bahamas.
A. tequilana (tequilla plant). Habit of plant in flower.

Chlorophytum

C. capense (spider plant). Habit of plant (cultivated). Flowers.

Yucca

Y. filamentosa (yucca, Spanish bayonette). Habit of plant in flower. Flower.
Y. brevifolia. (Joshua tree). Habit of plant. Another view of plant in flower. Flowering shoot.

Hyacinthaceae
Hyacinthus

H. sp. (hyacinth). Flowering shoot.

Muscari

M. botrioides (grape hyacinth). Habit of plant in flower.

Ornithogalum

O. umbellatum (Star-of-Bethlehem). Habit of plant in flower. Flower. Flower L.S.
O. thyrsoides. Inflorescence of a South African species.

Scilla

S. sibirica (squill). Habit of plants in flower. Flowers.
S. peruviana. Potted plant in flower.

Ruscaceae
Convalaria

C. majalis (lily-of-the-valley). Habit of plant in flower.

Dracaena

D. draco (dragon tree). Habit of plant in fruit. Another view of plant from underneath branches. Branches with fruits.

Maianthemum

M. racemosa [formerly Smilacina] (false Solomon’s seal). Habit of plant in flower. Inflorescence. Flowers.

Polygonatum

P. communtatum (Solomon's Seal). Flowering shoot.

Hypoxidaceae
Hypoxis

H. hirsuta (star grass). Habit of plant in flower. Inflorescence. Flower. Flower L.S.

SIUC / College of Science / Elements of Plant Systematics
URL: http://www.plantbiology.siu.edu/PLB304/Lecture24Liliales/Liliaceae.html
Last updated: 29-Mar-08 / dln