Family Asparagaceae
Synonyms: Ruscaceae APNI*
Ruscaceae APNI*
Dracaenaceae APNI*
Convallariaceae APNI*
Eriospermaceae APNI*
Nolinaceae APNI*
Anthericaceae APNI*
Laxmanniaceae APNI*
Hyacinthaceae APNI*
Lomandraceae APNI*
Agavaceae APNI*
Aphyllanthaceae APNI*
Herreriaceae APNI*
Hostaceae APNI*
Funkiaceae APNI*
Description: Annual or perennial herbs, shrubs or vines, sometimes tree-like. Stems variously smooth or prickly, perennial or annual above ground; sometimes flattened and leaf-like (phylloclades); sometimes rhizomatous, tuberous or bulbous; roots fibrous or fleshy.
Leaves variously basal, cauline or both, alternate, whorled, clustered or sometimes opposite, in some taxa reduced to scales, in others very large and strap-like; usually linear, sometimes lanceolate, to ovate.
Inflorescence can take many forms, sometimes dimophic between sexes (e.g. Lomandra), axillary or terminal, flowers solitary, clustered or in spikes, umbels, racemes or panicles. Flowers actinomorphic or zygomorphic, 3-merous, usually pedunculate, bisexual or unisexual and then plants dioecious. Tepals usually 6 (sometimes 4 or 5), in 2 whorls, free or fused basally. Stamens usually 6 (sometimes 3, 4, 8, 10 or 12), sometimes forming staminodes; filaments free or fused basally; anthers dorsifixed or basifixed, 2-locular, introrse, dehiscing by longitudinal slits. Ovary superior to inferior, 3-locular; ovules usually 2–12 per loculus; style short; stigma 3-lobed or unlobed (or 3 free styles in Yucca.
Fruit a berry; seeds 1-numerous, usually black, shining.
Distribution and occurrence:
External links:
Angiosperm Phylogeny Website (Family: Asparagaceae, Order: Asparagales)
Wikipedia These genera were often included in various families, including Agavaceae, Anthericaceae, Aspidistraceae, Convallariaceae, Dasylironaceae, Dracaenaceae, Hyacinthaceae, Laxmanniaceae, Liliaceae, Lomandraceae, Muscariaceae, Nolinaceae, and Ruscaceae. The family Asparagaceae is treated now in a much broader sense by most authors.
Text by R.L. Barrett
Taxon concept: Angiosperm Phylogeny Group IV (2016)
| | Key to the genera | |
| 1 | Scale leaves subtending leaf-like cladodes, cladodes often clustered or whorled | Asparagus |
| Leaves not subtending leaf-like cladodes | 2 |
| 2 | Plants arborescent | 3 |
| Plants herbaceous
Back to 1 | 6 |
| 3 | Perianth segments <2 cm long; ovary superior; leaves not succulent and spinescent | Cordyline |
| Perianth segments >2 cm long; ovary inferior or rarely superior; leaves often succulent and/or spinescent
Back to 2 | 4 |
| 4 | Leaves mostly less than 1 m long and less than 6 cm wide; scape 1–3 m high; ovary superior | Yucca |
| Leaves usually more than 1 m long and more than 6 cm wide; scape 2–6 m high; ovary inferior
Back to 3 | 5 |
| 5 | Stamens much longer than tepals | Agave |
| Stamens shorter than tepals
Back to 4 | Furcraea |
| 6 | Leaves well developed, green and scattered along the aerial stem and branches; flowers usually axillary or in small terminal inflorescences; underground stems generally not well developed | 7 |
| Leaves all or mostly basal or reduced and bract-like along the aerial stems; flowers commonly borne on a ± leafless scape or on a terminal inflorescence; underground stems well developed, usually modified into bulbs, corms, tubers or rhizomes
Back to 2 | 8 |
| 7 | Flowers unisexual; leaves scleromorphic | Lomandra |
| Flowers bisexual; leaves herbaceous, rarely scleromorphic
Back to 6 | Eustrephus |
| 8 | Bulbs present | 10 |
| Bulbs absent, rootstock often a rhizome, tuber or corm
Back to 6 | 13 |
| 9 | Perianth dark purple-blue, tubular with short lobes; uppermost flowers sterile | 10 |
| Perianth white to green or blue, stellate with spreading tepals; all flowers fertile
Back to | 11 |
| 10 | Flowers drooping, so appearing to be all on one side of the inflorescence, apex of the flowers open | Hyacinthoides |
| Infloresence erect, with flowers dense and evenly spaced around it, apex of the flowers constricted
Back to 9 | Muscari |
| 11 | Leaves with a distinct slender petiole and a broad blade <3 cm wide with dark purple spots | Drimiopsis |
| Leaves more or less linear to narrowly lanceolate, not spotted, petiole not distinct
Back to 9 | 12 |
| 12 | Tepals more or less oblong, thick-textured, whitish or yellowish with distinct, broad, green to brown longitudinal band on adaxial surface associated with 3–5 central nerves | Albuca |
| Tepals ovate to lanceolate, thick- or thin-textured, unicoloured or with a narrow indistinct green or brown keel on adaxial surface without any central nerves
Back to 11 | Ornithogalum |
| 13 | All leaves cauline | Laxmannia |
| Leaves chiefly basal, if some cauline then reducing in size up stem
Back to 8 | 14 |
| 14 | Stamens 3, with 3 staminodes | Sowerbaea |
| Stamens 6
Back to 13 | 15 |
| 15 | Margins of inner tepals fringed throughout | Thysanotus |
| Margins of inner tepals entire
Back to 14 | 16 |
| 16 | Anthers linear, longer than filaments | Arthropodium |
| Anthers linear to oblong, usually shorter than filaments
Back to 15 | 17 |
| 17 | Leaves 40–175 cm long, 2.5–9 cm wide, thick, leathery; flowers 25–30 mm long | Dracaena |
| 17 | Leaves 5–45 cm long, 0.05–2.5 cm wide, thin, not leathery; flowers 3–15 mm long | 18 |
| 18 | Filaments glabrous or minutely papillose; perianth white | Chlorophytum |
| Filaments hirsute or finely pubescent; perianth pale blue, purple or white
Back to 17 | Arthropodium |
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