LILIACEAE
NB Liliaceae is presently much reduced in size as before with genera placed in Amaryllidiaceae, Asparagaceae, Asteliaceae, Asphodeliaceae and Colchicaceae. The plant portrait therefore needs an update.
Morphological description
Herbs, with rhizomes or bulbs. Alpine tufted dioecious herb (Astelia); tiny saprophytic herb, leaves reduced to scales (Petrosavia).
Leaves
Leaves simple, entire, exstipulate. Leaves usually caespitose, linear, with parallel venation. Sometimes leaves reduced to scales (Petrosavia); leaves needle-like (Asparagus).
Inflorescence
Inflorescence racemose.
Flowers
Flower bisexual, actinomorphic, 3- merous, tepals in 2 rows of 3; stamens 6; ovary superior.
Fruit
Fruit a capsule, sometimes a blue berry (Dianella, Peliosanthes).
Seed
Seed flat.
Different from: Amaryllidaceae: ovary inferior.
Distribution: The family is cosmopolitan. In Malesia 21 genera,including : - Asparagus, scramblers, open places often on limestone; - Dianella, herbs, lowland + mountains.
Notes: Spices, vegetables: Allium*. - Ornamentals: Agapanthus*, Asparagus, Gloriosa. - Alliaceae were treated as a separate family in Flora Malesiana (Buysen, 1993).
Literature: J.P. Jessop, Fl. Males. I, 9 (1979) 192-235; J.R.M. Buysen, Fl. Males. I, 11 (1993) 375-384.
Spot characters (Van Balgooy): Liliaceae 102 - Arthropodium 101 - Astelia 1 - Caesia 101 - Chlorophytum 101 - Dianella 93 - Disporum 64, 93 - Gloriosa 4, 101 - Iphigenia 101 - Lilium 101 - Nothoscordium 13 - Peliosanthes 93 - Petrosavia 7, 101 - Thysanotus 81 - Tricyrtis 101.
Illustrations: Fig. 101. Disporum cantoniense (Lour.) Merr. (Liliaceae). a. Habit; b. flower of the spurred form, c. ditto of the non-spurred form; d. gynoecium; e. stamen; f. fruit; b-f enlarged. Reproduced from Flora Malesiana I, 9 (1979) 218, fig. 12. Fig. 102. Petrosavia stellaris Becc. (Liliaceae). Reproduced from Flora Malesiana I, 9 (1979) 200, fig. 5a, where redrawn from Hutchinson, Fam. Flow. Pl. 2 (1959) fig. 347. Fig. 103. Gloriosa superba L. (Liliaceae). Reproduced from M.R. Henderson, Malayan wild flowers, Monocotyledons (1954, repr. 1974) 179. With kind permission of the Malaysian Nature Society.
Image in PhytoImages for Liliaceae