Family Asphodelaceae
Synonyms: Aloeaceae APNI*
Phormiaceae APNI*
Dianellaceae APNI*
Hemerocallidaceae APNI*
Xanthorrhoeaceae APNI*
Description: Clump-forming or rhizomatous perennial herbs, shrubs, vines or pachycaul branched or unbranched trees with anomalous secondary growth. Roots usually succulent and sometimes thickened and tuberous, occasionally still-like.
Leaves distichous or spirally arranged, herbaceous or succulent, or brittle, flat, V-shaped, swollen or terete.
Inflorescences terminal, variously branched panicles, racemes, cylindrical spikes, or rarely an umbel (Tricoryne), or reduced to a single flower. Bracts absent or present. Flowers bisexual, actinomorphic or zygomorphic. Tepals 6, free or slightly fused into a tube at base. Stamens 6, free or basally fused with tepals. Anthers basifixed or dorsifixed, opening by pores or slits. Ovary superior or semi-inferior, 1- or 3-locular. Style 1, rarely gynobasic (Tricoryne), terminated by a small capitate stigma or a tuft of hairs.
Fruit a berry, nutlet, or capsule that splits into three, exposing black seeds.
Distribution and occurrence: World: 39-41 genera, c. 1000 species, worldwide. Australia: 23 genera, 132 species, all States.
External links:
Angiosperm Phylogeny Website (Family: Xanthorrhoeaceae, Order: Asparagales)
Wikipedia This broad family concept was introduced by APG III (2009) as Xanthorrhoeaceae and later renamed by APG IV (2016) as Asphodelaceae. It includes genera that were included in various families in pre-phylogenetic classification systems, including: Xanthorrhoeaceae, Phormiaceae, Hemerocallidaceae, Asphodelaceae, and part of Anthericaceae. Previous versions of this website reflected these now defunct family concepts.
Text by H. Sauquet (Mar 2021), based on Christenhusz MJM, Fay MF, Chase MW. 2017. Plants of the World: An illustrated encyclopedia of vascular plants. University of Chicago Press.
Taxon concept: Angiosperm Phylogeny Group IV (2016)
| | Key to the genera | |
| 1 | Plants arborescent | 2 |
| Plants herbaceous | 3 |
| 2 | Leaf bases persistent on the stem | Xanthorrhoea |
| Leaf bases not persistent on the stem
Back to 1 | Kniphofia |
| 3 | 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 | 4 |
| 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 1 | 7 |
| 4 | Filaments densely bearded or with a conspicuous swelling below the anthers; perianth commonly blue, rarely cream; plants >30 cm high | 5 |
| Filaments neither bearded nor with a conspicuous swelling below the anthers; perianth usually cream or lilac; plants usually <30 cm high
Back to 3 | Geitonoplesium |
| 5 | Fruit a berry; anthers not coiling after dehiscence; staminal filaments swollen and papillose at apex | Dianella |
| Fruit a capsule; anthers coiling or strongly recurving after dehiscence; staminal filaments not swollen and papillose at apex
Back to 4 | 6 |
| 6 | Flowers nodding; staminal filaments very densely hairy in upper half; seeds lenticular with ridged margins, dull or glistening | Stypandra |
| Flowers erect; staminal filaments shortly and densely hairy except at base and apex; seeds laterally compressed with rounded margins, more or less shining
Back to 5 | Thelionema |
| 7 | All flowers unisexual, arranged in spikes | Xanthorrhoea |
| Flowers bisexual, rarely some unisexual flowers present
Back to 3 | 8 |
| 8 | Flowers terminal, solitary and sessile; plants forming mats in damp alpine flats | Herpolirion |
| Flowers axillary or if terminal then not solitary and sessile; plants not alpine
Back to 7 | 9 |
| 9 | Filaments dorsifixed, anthers versatile; either leaves fleshy and with spinose teeth, or leaves ± terete, sometimes channelled above | 10 |
| Filaments attached at or near the base of the anthers, anthers not versatile; leaves ± flat
Back to 8 | 14 |
| 10 | Flowers white; inflorescence a simple or branched panicle | 11 |
| Flowers yellow to red; inflorescence a raceme
Back to 9 | 12 |
| 11 | Base of leaves broadened and membranous; leaves hollow; scape hollow; inflorescence a simple panicle; ovules 1 or 2 per loculus | Asphodelus |
| Base of leaves surrounded by membranous sheaths; leaves hollow at base; scape usually solid; inflorescence a divaricately branched panicle; ovules more than 2 per loculus
Back to 10 | Trachyandra |
| 12 | Perianth 4–25 mm long; tepals yellow with brown central stripe; capsule globose to obovoid | Bulbine |
| Perianth more than 25 mm long; tepals red, salmon-orange or yellow-green; capsule linear to oblong or ovoid
Back to 10 | 13 |
| 13 | Leaves fleshy, succulent, without distinct keel, more than 4 cm wide; margins sharply toothed with teeth 0.5–5 mm long; bracts several-veined | Aloe |
| Leaves papery and thin (often fibrous), distinctly keeled, less than 3 cm wide; margins smooth to minutely toothed or with a few scattered teeth towards apex; bracts 1-veined
Back to 12 | Kniphofia |
| 14 | Anthers dehiscing by apical pores | 15 |
| Anthers dehiscing by longitudinal slits
Back to 9 | 18 |
| 15 | Flowers strongly tubular, mixed red-brown-orange in colour | Phormium |
| Flowers with tepals wide-spreading from near base or recurved, white or blue or pale yellow
Back to 14 | 16 |
| 16 | Fruit a berry; anthers not coiling after dehiscence; staminal filaments swollen and papillose at apex | Dianella |
| Fruit a capsule; anthers coiling or strongly recurving after dehiscence; staminal filaments not swollen and papillose at apex
Back to 15 | 17 |
| 17 | Flowers nodding; staminal filaments very densely hairy in upper half; seeds lenticular with ridged margins, dull or glistening | Stypandra |
| Flowers erect; staminal filaments shortly and densely hairy except at base and apex; seeds laterally compressed with rounded margins, more or less shining
Back to 16 | Thelionema |
| 18 | Tepals not spirally twisted after flowering | 19 |
| Tepals spirally twisted after flowering
Back to 14 | 20 |
| 19 | Flowers terminal, solitary and sessile; plants forming mats in damp alpine flats | Herpolirion |
| Flowers in a cyme, usually pedicellate; plants from cultivation, not alpine
Back to 18 | Hemerocallis |
| 20 | Filaments with a tuft of narrow clavate hairs below anther; flowers yellow | Tricoryne |
| Filaments all glabrous, or scabrous, finely pubescent or papillose; flowers blue or white to pale yellow
Back to 18 | 21 |
| 21 | Inflorescences annual; pedicels to 15 mm long; stamens of 2 lengths; capsule more or less 3-lobed; seed more or less globose; flowers blue or rarely white | Caesia |
| Inflorescence perennating; pedicels to 3.5 mm long; stamens equal in length; capsule not lobed; seed ellipsoid; flowers white to pale yellow
Back to 20 | Corynotheca |
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