The Amaryllidaceae family of flowering plants has an interesting history. The name “amaryllis” comes from a Greek myth in which a lovestruck nymph named Amaryllis pierced her heart with a golden arrow and from the drops of her blood sprung a beautiful red flower. Thousands of years later, Dutch colonists in South Africa discovered a different type of bulbous plant and named it “amaryllis” after the mythical flower. However, the original amaryllis plant is actually a genus within the family Amaryllidaceae that produces small, delicate white flowers. Despite the confusion, both types of amaryllis plants are beloved by gardeners for their beauty and unique histories.
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Short Description
Family of flowering plants
The Amaryllidaceae are a family of herbaceous, mainly perennial and bulbous (rarely rhizomatous) flowering plants in the monocot order Asparagales. The family takes its name from the genus Amaryllis and is commonly known as the amaryllis family. The leaves are usually linear, and the flowers are usually bisexual and symmetrical, arranged in umbels on the stem. The petals and sepals are undifferentiated as tepals, which may be fused at the base into a floral tube. Some also display a corona. Allyl sulfide compounds produce the characteristic odour of the onion subfamily (Allioideae).
The family, which was originally created in 1805, now contains about 1600 species, divided into about 70–75 genera, 17 tribes and three subfamilies, the Agapanthoideae (Agapanthus), Allioideae (onions, garlic and chives) and Amaryllidoideae (amaryllis, daffodils, snowdrops). Over time, it has seen much reorganisation and at various times was combined with the related Liliaceae. Since 2009, a very broad view has prevailed based on phylogenetics, and including a number of other former families.
The family is found in tropical to subtropical areas of the world and includes many ornamental garden plants and vegetables.
Description
Floral diversity in Amaryllidaceae. A: Crinum, B: Narcissus, C: Sprekelia, D: Agapanthus, E: Allium, F: Tristagma
Vegetative
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