Spermatophyta: Monocotyledonae: Asparagales

Asphodelaceae - Asphodel family

Aloaceae

Hemerocallidaceae

Carter, S. (2001) Aloaceae Flora Zambesiaca 12(3)

Chase, M.W., Reveal, J.L. & Fay, M.J. (2009) A subfamilial classification for the expanded asparagalean families Amaryllidaceae, Asparagaceae and Xanthorrhoeaceae. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 161 132-136

Grace, O.M., Klopper, R.R., Smith, G.F., Crouch, N.R., Figueiredo, E., Rønsted, N., Van Wyk, A.E. (2013) A revised generic classification for Aloe (Xanthorrhoeaceae subfam. Asphodeloideae) Phytotaxa 76(1) 7-14

Kativu, S. (1996) Asphodelaceae of the Flora Zambesiaca area Kirkia 16(1) 27-53

Kativu, S. (2001) Asphodelaceae Flora Zambesiaca 12(3)

Zimudzi, C. & Pope, G.V. (2001) Hemerocallidaceae Flora Zambesiaca 12(3)

Description of the family

Perennial herbs, shrubs or sometimes attaining the height of small trees. Roots fibrous, sometimes swollen, occasionally with tubers. Leaves distichous or in rosettes, basal or on a woody stem, sometimes more or less thickly succulent; margin entire or set with hard teeth or spines. Peduncle mostly naked or with a few bracts. Inflorescence a simple or compound raceme or paniculate. Flowers subtended by a single bract. Flowers bisexual, actinomorphic or zygomorphic; perianth segments in 2 whorls of 3, tubular or not. Stamens also in 2 whorls of 3. Ovary superior. Fruit a loculicidal capsule, rarely a berry. Seeds without an aril or sometimes with a thin aril or winged.

Comment: Many genera formerly placed in separate families (Aloaceae, Hemerocallidaceae, Xanthorrhoeaceae ao) are now considered to be all part of the same family. There still seems to be some dispute about the accepted name of this family. For some time it was considered to be Xanthorrhoeaceae but very recent thinking (APGIV, 2016) now uses Asphodelaceae again as the valid name.

Worldwide: 40 genera and 900 species, throughout most of the tropics and subtropics.

Zimbabwe: 8 cultivated genera and 15 cultivated taxa.

No image of a cultivated species but there is an image of a native or naturalised species

Links to cultivated genera:     View: living plant images - herbarium specimen images - all images for this family

GenusContent
Aloe L.Description, Image
Aloiampelos Klopper & Gideon F. Sm.
Aloidendron (A.Berger) Klopper & Gideon F. Sm.Description
Bulbine WolfDescription
Dianella Lam. ex Juss.Description
Hemerocallis L.Description
Kniphofia MoenchDescription
Xanthorrhoea Sm.

Other sources of information about Asphodelaceae:

Our websites:

Flora of Botswana: Asphodelaceae
Flora of Caprivi: Asphodelaceae
Flora of Caprivi: cultivated Asphodelaceae
Flora of Malawi: Asphodelaceae
Flora of Mozambique: Asphodelaceae
Flora of Zambia: Asphodelaceae
Flora of Zambia: cultivated Asphodelaceae
Flora of Zimbabwe: Asphodelaceae

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Asphodelaceae
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Asphodelaceae
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Asphodelaceae
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Asphodelaceae
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Asphodelaceae
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Asphodelaceae
JSTOR Plant Science: Asphodelaceae
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Asphodelaceae
Wikipedia: Asphodelaceae
Plants of the World Online: Asphodelaceae
Tropicos: Asphodelaceae



Copyright: Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten, Petra Ballings and Meg Coates Palgrave, 2002-24

Hyde, M.A., Wursten, B.T., Ballings, P. & Coates Palgrave, M. (2024). Flora of Zimbabwe: Cultivated plants: Family page: Asphodelaceae.
https://www.zimbabweflora.co.zw/cult/family.php?family_id=24, retrieved 28 March 2024

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